What person has the righteousness of the Law of Moses ascribed to him or her?...

The individual who is not walking according to the desires of his or her flesh and soul but according to the Spirit of God.

This last truth, found in the fourth verse of the eighth chapter, is so important, so crucial, we will deal with it again.

What behaviour on our part results in salvation by grace through faith?

What must we do if we are to participate in the new covenant?

When do the promises of the Book of Romans become true for us as an individual?

Who is without condemnation in the sight of God?

The answer is, the person who walks "not in the appetites of the flesh, but after the Spirit."

It is taught commonly that salvation is an eternal, unconditional amnesty for the believer. Once we make a profession of faith, salvation operates by "grace" and how we behave is not critically important. This is an error. The Divine redemption always is conditional, always based on our behaviour, always an opportunity through Christ, always proceeding as we interact with the Spirit of God.

Salvation never is an eternal, unconditional amnesty. Today, tomorrow, a million years from now, the soul that sins shall die, shall be cut off from God.

The Father sent the Lord Jesus so men might be able to turn from their sins and learn to serve God. Those who do so shall be saved from wrath and brought into the new world. Those who do not turn from their evil, after all the mercy and provisions of the Lord, shall be cast into the area prepared for the devil and his angels.

It is Satan who has introduced the idea of an eternal amnesty, for he hopes to obtain such an amnesty for himself. But it shall never be given.

If walking not according to our physical reasoning and abilities but after the Spirit of God is the critical issue of the new covenant, and our freedom from condemnation is founded on it, we need to be certain we are fulfilling this requirement.

Human beings are occupied with material survival, with seeking pleasure, and with striving to enlarge their influence and to construct something worthwhile and enduring.

Walking "in the appetites of the flesh" means we are pursuing these three areas according to our own wisdom, energy, and talents. This is true even when our security, our pleasure, and the enlarging of our influence and the worthwhile and enduring structure we are creating, have to do (so we think) with the Kingdom of God. On many occasions the building of the supposed Kingdom of God is a fleshly, soulish enterprise.

Walking "after the Spirit" means we are pursuing these three areas by waiting on the Lord, not in passivity or inevitability but in vital union with Him through prayer and patient, unrelenting obedience.

If our personality and behaviour are flowing from waiting on the Lord, from the shining forth of His resurrection Life, we are walking "after the Spirit." This is true even though what we are doing appears to have nothing to do with religion or with the Church.

God is directly concerned and involved with the activities of the whole earth, not just with religious activities. Christ guides us in every area of life. No activity or interest of the saint escapes the intense involvement of the Lord Christ. He loves us that much!

We partake of new-covenant righteousness as we walk after the Spirit.

Back to Study for the book Romans

Back to Chapter Eight...