And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:2
Are you a dog, a cat, or a plant person? As for me, I am a dog person. I joke that my dog Archie is like Mary Poppins: “practically perfect in every way.” There is a reason why the word “practically” is included in that description. His biggest downfall is that he cannot help but eat mulch in my apartment complex’s dog park. Instead of dropping the mulch in his mouth when I say “Drop it,” he runs around at lightning speed so that it is impossible for me to catch him or get the mulch out of his mouth. For the observer, I am certain that watching the scene of me chasing my lightning-fast dog is quite humorous. Needless to say, I had to do something to stop him from feasting on mulch at the dog park. My neighbor introduced me to a device that makes a noise that dogs do not like. Here is what happened when I tried this training method with him: Every time he got the mulch, I said “Drop it” and prompted the device to make the noise. As I did this, like clockwork, he dropped the mulch. What I discovered in that moment is that Archie knows the right thing to do, but he often chooses not to do it. I first laughed at this observation, but then I quickly felt convicted as I thought about all of the times I knew the right thing to do, but I chose not to do it. Maybe you can relate. As followers of Christ, we know from Scripture that our calling is not just to know the right thing to do, but to actually do it. For example, as we have seen in our Bible study together this week, we have a calling to live by the Spirit rather than by the flesh. We must, however, go beyond simply knowing this truth to actually obeying it.
The apostle Paul emphasized the importance of living like people who have been freed from sin and its power over us in Romans 8. He wrote in this passage of Scripture, “And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (verse 2). Make no mistake, my friend. If we have placed our faith in Christ, we have been freed from sin's power. The life-changing and life-resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit is at work within us and has freed us from the power of sin and death. As a result, we are called to live accordingly. Specifically, we are called in Scripture to live according to the power of the Spirit rather than our sinful flesh. After all, if we have placed our faith in Christ, we are not controlled by our sinful nature because sin no longer has power over us. That is why, several verses later, Paul described Christ followers as people who “no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (verse 4). Indeed, as followers of Christ, we are to stop following our sinful nature, giving in to sin, and doing whatever our sinful nature wants. Instead, our call is to actively follow the Spirit, obeying Scripture and living for the things that are eternal rather than the things of this world. The question is, will we choose to live according to the Spirit, and say “no” to sin, or will we keep giving in to our sinful nature? Only one of these ways of living will lead us in the direction of Christ, and that is life in the Spirit.
We know that we have new lives in the Spirit after placing our faith in Christ. As a result, we must choose to live by the Spirit. Will you go beyond knowing this command and choose to live according to the Spirit instead of the things of this world? May each one of us honor God in all we say and do and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit rather than our sinful nature.
Read through the verses of the Going Deeper section slowly and carefully. As you read, write down what Scripture teaches about what it looks like to live by the Spirit. Then, write down one way you can commit to living by the power of the Spirit today based on this passage of Scripture. Commit to taking that step today, and don't forget to ask God to help you as you seek to do this.
“God, in my quest to live according to Your Spirit, guide me…”
Romans 8:1-8
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
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