'Walking in the Spirit'
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That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:4)
The righteousness of God Himself is given us as a gift through Christ provided we "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
The righteousness of the law of Moses is fulfilled in us as we follow the Spirit. The ascribing of Divine righteousness to us is based on Christ’s becoming sin and taking our sentence in our place. It is a substitutionary work, and we receive the benefit of an ascribed righteousness equal to the righteousness that would be ours if we were able perfectly to keep the Law of Moses.
The righteousness of the Law of Moses is added to our spiritual bank account as long as we are walking in the Holy Spirit and not following our fleshly mind. Walking in the Spirit means that we are giving our attention to obtaining the will of God for our life, that we are presenting our body a living sacrifice to the Lord (Romans 12:1,2).
We no longer are spending our days in the pursuits of our mind and body, bent on serving the impulses of our fleshly lusts, indulging our desire for the possession of material treasures, and nourishing our pride and rebellion against the Spirit of God.
Instead we are being brought into cross-carrying obedience to the will of Christ.
If we are living each day as a "whole burnt offering" to the Lord, our human reasoning and emotional, soulish, lustful body continually being brought under strict obedience to the Spirit of God, then the righteousness of the Law of Moses is added to us on the basis of Christ’s death on our behalf.
Christ took on Himself the judgment that legally should have fallen on us. Therefore He has the legal right, according to the Divine standard of justice, to share His own righteousness with whomever He desires.
Living in the appetites of our body and soul means we are spending our days in the ordinary pursuits of human beings. We are occupied primarily with eating, sleeping, working, playing, and reproducing. This is our life and it is the life of the animal.
We are not praying, reading the Bible, pressing on to know the Lord, gathering together with fervent believers, putting Jesus first in every decision. Rather, we are devoting our time to obtaining as much of the riches of the world as possible, indulging the lusts of our eyes and our flesh, and putting our own will, way, and understanding ahead of God’s will, way, and understanding.
The daily life of the average person in the world is lived in the appetites of the body, not in the Spirit of God. If we live according to the appetites of our body after we become a Christian, we cannot claim that we are the possessors of the righteousness that is by faith in Christ. The Christian redemption is not an exemption from the first commandment—that we love God with all our mind, soul, and strength.
Walking "in the Spirit" means that each day we are putting Christ first in all circumstances. We are spending some time in prayer and Scripture reading. We are assembly with fervent disciples on a regular basis whenever possible. We are pressing forward in the knowledge of Christ.
We think and talk about the Lord Jesus frequently. We are known as a Christian (except in countries where there is persecution). We are distinguished by our devotion to Jesus. We are meeting the difficulties that come our way by seeking the mind and help of the Lord and are growing in grace as a result.
The supremely important motive of our life is obedience to the Lord. He comes first in our plans and pursuits. We have a sense of direction and momentum in our life as we move forward in holiness and the knowledge of the Lord. We are not trying to find how many worldly things we can do and still be saved, how close to the Lake of Fire we can walk and not topple in. Rather, we always are looking for ways in which we can gain a greater grasp on Christ.
We count ourselves dead and resurrected with Christ. All of our personality, relationships, and possessions are on the altar of God. The world is crucified to us and we to the world. We are diligent in the use of our spiritual talents, and when Jesus returns we will have spiritual profit to show from what He has entrusted to us.
Walking "after the Spirit" is referring to first-century discipleship. It is a sincere, "take up your cross and follow me" life of dedication to the Master. This is the normal, true Christian discipleship. Every other way of life is below standard from the viewpoint of the Lord.
The fullness of the inheritance of the saint cannot be attained apart from the fullness of the discipleship required of the saint.
Utter dedication, discipleship, rejection of the claims of sin, rejection of self-love and self-will, are the normal requirements and experiences of the new covenant. Such complete abandonment to Christ is expected of each believer.
The Holy Spirit of God stands ready to bring each believer in Christ, each living stone in the eternal Temple of God, into unwavering, single-minded discipleship.
The Holy Spirit is God. He has all the resources of Christ to draw upon. If we will allow Him to do so He will perfect our walk in Christ.
The Holy Spirit is our Life. He is our Comforter. He is our Helper. He is our Strength. He is our Wisdom, our Counselor, our Teacher. The Holy Spirit is in the world now in the place of the Lord Jesus so that every bit of wisdom, strength, and inspiration we need for the service of Christ may be available to us.
The new covenant is Christ and is the Holy Spirit. The new covenant is the power of incorruptible resurrection life entering us so that by nature we shall love righteousness and hate sin and rebellion.
We who minister the new covenant do not minister only the letter of the writings of the Apostles, as important as the Epistles are to our understanding and to godly living. Rather, we minister the Holy Spirit. He is the Life of the believer. He brings us to Christ every day.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5)
The important issue in Christianity is not what church we attend or what doctrines we believe. The important issue is whether we are attending to the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit.
A Christian believer may be quite sound in doctrine and may attend an assembly where the Scriptures are taught by the elders, and still be spending his time and energy in the things of the flesh. The greater part of his or her day may be occupied with what is being eaten, what is being worn, how his or her job is progressing, and all the other "legitimate" concerns of human beings. He thus will remain ignorant of God’s will until the flood comes and carries away all his treasures.
In fact, it happens in churches and theological institutions that the Scriptures themselves become a thing of the flesh, a corpus of knowledge, a cadaver dissected by scholars who are as full of the pride of knowledge as scholars of any other discipline.
The Scriptures do in fact lend themselves to an intellectual approach, becoming an object of fleshly ambition. The lawyers and Pharisees of Jesus’ day knew the Scripture but were dead spiritually. There is a great gulf between knowledge gained by a disciplined study of the Scriptures and other sacred books and knowledge that comes from the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Pharisees had the one. The Lord Jesus had the other.
Christians who are walking in the appetites of the flesh do not enjoy being around the true saints. They would not enjoy being around Peter or John or Paul even though they may pride themselves on their knowledge of the writings of the Apostles of the Lamb.
The true members of the Body of Christ, while they are diligent in secular affairs (they are commanded so to be), are occupied primarily with the Person and will of Christ. They are growing, growing, growing in the things of Christ. Christ is All in all to them. For them to live is Christ and to die is gain. The Spirit guides and comforts them in all areas of living.
For to be fleshly minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
The believer who is spending the greater part of his time and energy in worldly concerns is not attaining eternal life. Even though he may have accepted Christ as his Savior he still is dwelling in death as far as his spiritual life is concerned.
His spiritual nature, if he hasn’t already killed it, is at the right hand of the Father in Christ. However, His life on the earth is not reflecting his heavenly position. His human personality still is saturated with the death that always follows the lusts of the body and soul. "What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).
After we are saved we must choose each day to come under the discipline of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise we are dwelling in the death that accompanies the lustful nature of our physical body rather than in the eternal life that accompanies our new nature in the heavenlies in Christ.
Because the fleshly mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)
If we walk according to our own understanding, trusting in our own wisdom and abilities to guide us through the world, even as a Christian, we soon will end up in confusion and misery. Our natural mind is the enemy of God and never will come under the law of God. The natural mind must be renewed by the transforming Virtue that is in the Spirit of God.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)
As long as we are following the dictates of our fleshly mind and bodily passions we never will please God even though we have accepted Christ, have been baptized in water, and are sound in doctrine. We can receive Christ as Savior and then continue to walk in our own understanding and strength. To do so is to displease God. The only true life of the Christian is the Spirit of God Himself.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9)
As we understand the meaning of Romans 8:9, Paul is not teaching that once we make a profession of Christ we automatically are in the Spirit and therefore are pleasing to God. Such an interpretation would be inconsistent with other verses of the eighth chapter of Romans.
Rather, what Paul is stating may be paraphrased as follows: Christian, bring to mind that you have been washed in the blood. Maintain the concept that you have been crucified and have risen with Christ. God has given to you His Holy Spirit. You no longer are merely a flesh and blood creature. Your life no longer is animal and soulish in nature. If you truly have received Christ you possess the Spirit of Christ. Therefore you should be giving attention to the things of the Spirit because your new life is in the Spirit.
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