Living the Spirit-controlled life

Romans 8:4

       Should a situation arise in which you could have but one chapter of the bible, which would it be? The ones that jump to one’s mind are chapters like Psalm 23, or, John 3 – and they are choice. But somehow there is another that I believe I would choose, and that is Romans 8. In the previous seven chapters Paul has built a strong theological foundation for salvation, showing that righteousness comes not from keeping the law, but as a result of faith in the redemptive life and death of Christ. Righteousness is a gift to be received, not a reward to be earned. So Paul begins chapter 8 with a monumental “therefore” and closes with a triumphal declaration that there is absolutely nothing that can ever separate the believer from the love of God. When the adoring praise of the redeemed subsides we see God on his throne with all those of faith secure in his loving arms. No one or nothing can separate us!
       And who are these, so favored by God? They are, says Paul, “those whose lives are directed not by their human nature but by the Spirit” (v. 4). Here we have God’s definition of a Christian believer – one whose life is directed by the Holy Spirit, not by their old human nature. Our relation to God is not what we say it is, but what it proves to be on the true screen of actual living. It would have been pleasant if God had removed the old nature when we by faith adopted the new nature, but that is not what happened. So from that point on the old nature doubles its efforts to keep everything as it was. And we, unfortunately, have little or no power to resist it. What we do have, however, is God’s indwelling Spirit who at every point is able to defeat the desires of what we once were. The trick is to allow him to exercise his powers. You’ve heard the old story about the person who said that when it came to making an important decision, he had two dogs inside (one white, the other black) and they were always fighting. When asked as to which would win, he answered that it was always the one he fed. 
       Life is full of continuing options and, in the end, character is the sum total of right decisions. The opportunity to live “according to the Spirit” allows us the privilege of growing in likeness to our Lord. In a given decision, should a believer decide to take his direction from the “flesh,” the process of spiritual maturation is retarded. Believers are people who consistently “live according to the Spirit” (v. 4).