READ Romans 8:1-17

I read through this passage last night before I went to sleep, and then again this morning, and in both readings the same two things popped off the page to me.

NO CONDEMNATION
“Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

To receive no condemnation means 
there is no adverse sentence or condemning verdict at all.

SET FREE
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free 
from the law of sin and of death.”

To be free means I am liberated, exempt from moral, ceremonial and mortal liability. 

Doesn’t that sound amazing?!!  Not only am I free from the punishment I deserve for my sin, but I am also freed from having to repeat my mistakes.  Did you catch that?  Free from having to.  That means that I have access to the power that enables me to make better choices.  So because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, instead of being controlled by the urges of my flesh, I am free to make different choices.  

So the question bodes asking
Why don’t I experience the freedom Christ paid so dearly to secure for me?  

Well, the answer is simple (notice I said “simple”, not “easy”).  You see, the Bible tells us that we have to choose what will our mind set be?  

Where we find our minds focused, our actions are sure to follow.  
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he [in behavior]” (Proverbs 23:7–AMP)

This same principle is set forth in our passage for today, in verses 5-6.

“For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds 
on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, 
the things of the Spirit.  For the mind set on the flesh is death,
but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,”

In the Greek language, mind set (phronema) means your mental inclination or purpose; what one has in mind concerning his thoughts and purposes.  Just think about the right things.  What does that even look like?  Well, let’s take a closer look at the words “inclination” and “purpose”.  

An inclination is the intense natural tendency of character or action – the disposition of mind or character.  The inclination is what comes naturally to a person. You generally do this without much thought.  For example, are you prone to get angry quickly?  Does bending the truth (i.e., lying) come easily to you?  

A purpose is a determination or intention – what one intends to do.  I can make it my purpose, for example, not to let anger be my first response, or I can make it my purpose not to lie.  But let me ask you this.  Just because I have purposed something, does it guarantee that purpose I will accomplish what I purposed?  Of course not.  (And if you think I’m wrong, can I just say “New Years’ Resolutions”?  I rest my case.  LOL) 

So according to this passage, my “mind set” spans both my natural inclination (what comes naturally) and my purpose (what I intend to do).  Romans 8:6-8 even goes so far as to lay out what two mind sets and their outcomes.

“For the mind set on the flesh is DEATH, 
but the mind set on the Spirit is LIFE and PEACE, 
because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; 
for it does not subject itself to the law of God, 
for it is not even able to do so,
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

I have a choice — death OR life and peace. The choice seems like a no-brainer, when you look at it that way. 

When I made the choice to accept Christ, I received life and peace. Thank you Jesus!  But now that I am in Christ, it is my OBLIGATION to not live according to the flesh. Obligation,  (opheiletes) in the Greek, means an owner who is indebted.  I am God’s debtor and under the obligation of gratitude to Him for the favor I received and the favor I continue to receive.  Think about the wording of Romans 12:1-2.

“Therefore, I URGE you, brothers and sisters, IN VIEW OF GOD’S MERCY, 
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—
this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the 
pattern of this world ,but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—
his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We are being told by Paul that, in view of all that God has extended to us (no condemnation and set free), we are obligated to say no to the world’s way and yes to God’s way.  Paul even tells us how to do this – by the renewing of our mind.  Our mind set needs to be that I need to say no to what comes naturally (our flesh) and say yes to the Spirit of God because  “I owe it to Him to become like His Son.”  

Verse fourteen mentions BEING LED by the Spirit of God, (ago) in the Greek, and it means to lead; by implication, to bring or to drive; reflexively, to go; to be moved, to be impelled (speaking of the forces and influences affecting the mind).  That leaves me with an important question.  

WHAT AM I GOING TO ALLOW TO INFLUENCE MY MIND? 
My fleshly desires and fears – OR – my life-giving and peace-giving Savior? 

PAUSE TO PONDER the phrase “to drive” in that definition of being led.  What picture comes to mind?  For me, what comes to mind is a cowboy on a horse, going to and fro, herding cattle who want to do their own thing. Just like that cowboy has to be quick to cut the cattle off at the pass in order to herd them, so I have to herd my thoughts. I have to choose to hop on my “horse” and get to herding!!!  

One more important thing I want to emphasize before I wrap this up.  

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, 
but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters 
by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”  
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 
and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, 
if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

I LOVE how evident relationship is displayed in this passage.  God is my Father.  I am His child. That Father–Daughter relationship with God must be my motivator! 

My PURPOSE and AIM is to please my Daddy by living up to the family name. 

Daddy has given me the POWER by the Spirit within me. 
to enable me to adopt a different mind set, to think differently. 

The power is there, but I must CHOOSE to let it flow through me and do His job? 

I loved the Message paraphrase of Romans 8:4 —

“The Law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin
instead of a deep healing of it.  And now what the law code asked for,
but we couldn’t deliver, is accomplished as we, INSTEAD of
redoubling our own efforts, SIMPLY EMBRACE what the Spirit is doing for us.“  

“Simply embrace” brought to mind a meme I saw. Jesus is bent down, reaching out His hand to a little girl holding her worn little teddy bear. He is asking the little girl to give Him the bear, but she’s hesitant to give it up. What the little girl can’t see is that behind Jesus’ back, in His other hand, is a beautiful new bear that He wants to exchange for her old one. The little girl is faced with a choice. Focus on her old little bear, OR trust Jesus and give it over to Him, receiving  a MUCH better bear in exchange.