Daily Bread
Romans 8:1 - "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."
One of the ways that we can understand the meaning of "flesh" is human ability. Mankind through his own human ability cannot fulfill the promises of God. An example of this is given in Galatians chapter four: Abraham attempted to fulfill the promise of God through his own human ability (4:23, 29). We know that Abraham did not stagger at the promises of God, but at one point he thought that he would be able to fulfill God's promises through his own ability, and, therefore, took his concubine Hagar to wife (Romans 4:20). It is this same human ability that is addressed in verse 3 as the reason for the Law being weak. The Law was powerless to impart the life or the Spirit of God, and, therefore, it was dependent upon man's human ability and discipline to fulfill the righteousness of God (Galatians 3:21). Jesus told Nicodemus, the ruler of the Jews, that those who had been born of the flesh were flesh (earthly or natural). Therefore, flesh may be understood as the natural human ability or "self" to which Jesus said He could do nothing by, "I can of my own self do nothing" and to which Paul said he knew nothing by and to which we are all commanded to deny (John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 4:4; Matthew 9:32). It is this natural life that was subjected to death and condemned under a penalty of eternal death because of Adam's transgression. It was also to this flesh or earthly existence that the Word was made, thereby, becoming the sin offering for all of mankind. Jesus suffered in the flesh and we are commanded to arm ourselves with the same mind (1Peter 4:1-2). So as Jesus was subject to temptation and suffered being tempted but did not yield, we ourselves are to be partakers of the same (Hebrews 2:18; 5:8). Having been renewed and restored to the glory of God by the Spirit we are empowered to resist the devil and abstain from fleshly lusts which war against our soul. Now that we have been born of the Spirit and clothed with the glory of God we are empowered to live a life free from sin.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Daily Bread
Romans 8:7 - "In as much as fleshly thinking is opposed to God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed is it able."
God desires us to think in a totally different way than we have learned from our natural experiences. He desires us to believe and expect the supernatural things that He has revealed to us in His word. Those things that God desires us to think and do have not been revealed through man's wisdom and experience. What God has for us cannot be received or accomplished through human insight and ability. It is only by the Spirit that we are able to do the things that please God. The things of the Spirit are so different from what human experience dictates that they are foolish to the man who only thinks in the realm of human ability (1 Corinthians 2:14). God desires to show us things by His Spirit which eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither has ever entered into the heart of man. God operates in a spiritual, unseen world from which the mouths of lions are stopped, and the violence of fire has no power. This is the spiritual realm where Jesus our Lord turned the water into wine, walked on the water, and raised the dead. It is the realm of faith where righteousness is victorious over all sin and disobedience. The realm of the Spirit is the realm taught to us by the word of God where we learn to be led by the Spirit of God. It is only in this realm that we can please God.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Romans 8:7 - "In as much as fleshly thinking is opposed to God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed is it able."
God desires us to think in a totally different way than we have learned from our natural experiences. He desires us to believe and expect the supernatural things that He has revealed to us in His word. Those things that God desires us to think and do have not been revealed through man's wisdom and experience. What God has for us cannot be received or accomplished through human insight and ability. It is only by the Spirit that we are able to do the things that please God. The things of the Spirit are so different from what human experience dictates that they are foolish to the man who only thinks in the realm of human ability (1 Corinthians 2:14). God desires to show us things by His Spirit which eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither has ever entered into the heart of man. God operates in a spiritual, unseen world from which the mouths of lions are stopped, and the violence of fire has no power. This is the spiritual realm where Jesus our Lord turned the water into wine, walked on the water, and raised the dead. It is the realm of faith where righteousness is victorious over all sin and disobedience. The realm of the Spirit is the realm taught to us by the word of God where we learn to be led by the Spirit of God. It is only in this realm that we can please God.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Daily Bread
Romans 8:4 - "That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."
Paul provides insight to the facts regarding the righteousness of the Law and man's inability to walk in it in Romans chapter 7. He proves that those who were depending upon the Law for righteousness were, in reality, under the law of sin and death and, therefore, unable to fulfill the righteousness of the Law. Paul argues that the Law was just, good, and holy but that those attempting to keep the Law were themselves sold under sin, and, as a result, the law of sin was at work in their members (Romans 7:14, 21, 22, 23, 25 also 5:14, 17, 21). Now through the new birth which has brought the believer into Christ Jesus and, thus, into the life of the Spirit, the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled through God's divine ability at work in us. The righteousness of the Law is fulfilled because the believer does not depend upon human ability dominated by the law of sin but the Spirit of God reigning over the new creation in Christ Jesus. Now that the curse of the law of sin and death has been broken and the Spirit of God has come into the life of the believer, sin has no more dominion. The child of God has been lifted beyond their strength and human discipline to the realm of the operation of Holy Spirit who is at work in their members (Romans 6:4-14).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Romans 8:4 - "That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."
Paul provides insight to the facts regarding the righteousness of the Law and man's inability to walk in it in Romans chapter 7. He proves that those who were depending upon the Law for righteousness were, in reality, under the law of sin and death and, therefore, unable to fulfill the righteousness of the Law. Paul argues that the Law was just, good, and holy but that those attempting to keep the Law were themselves sold under sin, and, as a result, the law of sin was at work in their members (Romans 7:14, 21, 22, 23, 25 also 5:14, 17, 21). Now through the new birth which has brought the believer into Christ Jesus and, thus, into the life of the Spirit, the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled through God's divine ability at work in us. The righteousness of the Law is fulfilled because the believer does not depend upon human ability dominated by the law of sin but the Spirit of God reigning over the new creation in Christ Jesus. Now that the curse of the law of sin and death has been broken and the Spirit of God has come into the life of the believer, sin has no more dominion. The child of God has been lifted beyond their strength and human discipline to the realm of the operation of Holy Spirit who is at work in their members (Romans 6:4-14).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Monday, September 11, 2006
Daily Bread
Romans 8:3 - "For the Law was powerless in that it was weak through the flesh God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin condemned sin in the flesh."
Although the Word, Jesus Christ, became flesh; He did not become sinful flesh (John 1:14; 1 Peter 2:22; 4:1-2). The flesh of Jesus Christ was absolutely sinless, He never one time sinned and thus condemned or pronounced sentence against sin being in the flesh. It is important to distinguish between the flesh of human ability and natural limitation and the flesh of a sinful nature. Sinful flesh refers to the depraved and wicked nature which is a condition of man because of Adam's sin (Romans 5:12-21). It is the same as the spirit of the world that works in the children of disobedience which is also all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life (Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 2:). The sinful flesh is the Old Man that was put to death by the death of Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:4-6). It is a realm belonging wholly to the god of this world the prince and power of the air, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:3; Galatians 5:19). Sinful flesh is the state of the unredeemed man dominated by the sinful nature or fleshly lust and the works of the devil (1 Peter 2:11; 1 John 2:16; 3:8). Jesus was made like us so that we could be born again and made like him. And now we are not of this world even as He is not of this world (John 17:14,16).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Romans 8:3 - "For the Law was powerless in that it was weak through the flesh God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin condemned sin in the flesh."
Although the Word, Jesus Christ, became flesh; He did not become sinful flesh (John 1:14; 1 Peter 2:22; 4:1-2). The flesh of Jesus Christ was absolutely sinless, He never one time sinned and thus condemned or pronounced sentence against sin being in the flesh. It is important to distinguish between the flesh of human ability and natural limitation and the flesh of a sinful nature. Sinful flesh refers to the depraved and wicked nature which is a condition of man because of Adam's sin (Romans 5:12-21). It is the same as the spirit of the world that works in the children of disobedience which is also all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life (Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 2:). The sinful flesh is the Old Man that was put to death by the death of Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:4-6). It is a realm belonging wholly to the god of this world the prince and power of the air, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:3; Galatians 5:19). Sinful flesh is the state of the unredeemed man dominated by the sinful nature or fleshly lust and the works of the devil (1 Peter 2:11; 1 John 2:16; 3:8). Jesus was made like us so that we could be born again and made like him. And now we are not of this world even as He is not of this world (John 17:14,16).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
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