Day/Verse 34: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” – Romans 8:14

As I was scanning through multiple translations one caught my eye over the others. The Aramaic Bible in Plain English (not exactly a common translation) says: For if you are living in the flesh, you are going to die, and if you are putting to death the practices of the body, you are living. I love the way this version takes on the active/current role of living rather than the future tense – it’s a more personal view to me, right here in my day.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die… I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of dying other than what’s right around the bend for the believer. It scares me to think that before I knew grace, I was living according to the flesh. What does it mean then that death is a result of living according to the flesh? For me, it meant not heeding God’s Word, not being in fellowship with believers, not being in relationship with Jesus, not caring for others. It meant pridefully pursuing whatever “felt” right. The opposite of the flesh is the Spirit – a life marked by a passion to be with and like Jesus. The flesh includes all those things of our old, former nature – the things we were called to put off. The flesh represents a habitual lifestyle of living the past. The follower of Jesus may stumble and fall (we ALL do!) but there is a grand difference between the Christian who struggles along Vs. the person who has lost their will to fight and has accepted the destruction of distraction in place of the liberty of Christ.

….but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. The Spirit is our secret weapon of mass destruction toward the flesh. God did not leave us uneducated, under-equipped orphans. We were warned of this battle, of the transformation from simple peasants to partners with Christ against every level of Satanic opposition. I want to see the Devil’s work crushed in every country through-out every continent, but it’s doubtful I’ll see very far without putting to death the deeds of my own rotten flesh. War is violently raging, taking on a variety of names and expressions based on what will cause the greatest harm to our walks. Have you ever noticed that you are rarely attacked in the areas where you don’t struggle? I can’t recall the last time I was tempted by drugs, but I can tell you the last time lust paid me a visit. We don’t put to death the flesh by our own strength or energy. The Spirit is our battering ram against the deeds of our bodies.Welcome the Spirit to help you today. Invite His presence to show you where and how He wants to help you put to death every deed in the body.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please allow me to see Your hand in the midst of my ongoing battle with the flesh. I confess that some-days, most days,  I’m not so certain of your nearness. Open my eyes! Allow me on this very day to live according to the Spirit so that death will be the final outcome to the flesh; the deeds of my body crushed.

Day/Verse 33: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” – Romans 8:11

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you… Scripture is full of heavenly truth hard for our feeble minds to make sense of. Believing the same Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead also dwells in us confounds me. The Spirit of the Father who raised His only beloved Son is indeed dwelling in the heart of every believer, but I can barely grasp the fullness of what this means. We were bought with a price where the Holy Spirit guards us as the inheritance Jesus redeemed from death. Have you ever considered yourself a prized inheritance? You were so dear to God’s heart that a premium, like that of a prized-possession, was placed over you. This is why the atrocity of human trafficking is so horrid – no price can ever be affixed to the potential of creation save for value exclusively held by the Creator. God alone, Father of every human being ever to breathe, has made his will clear – receiving the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead to dwell in us. Crazy. I’m fairly sure I’m guilty of quenching the Holy Spirit far more often than what I realize. Holy Spirit, forgive me! God, You are amazing!

….he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. The prized joy of every Christian who ever was, is now, and ever will be – home forever, glorying in the presence of a gracious God (together with all the saints)! The commentators I found seemed to agree that the context of this passage is focused on the eternal (heaven) aspect of what Jesus paid for and not the temporal (healing) aspect of what He paid for. The eternal element is that we are all promised death and either separation from God due to our rejection of Jesus as savior of our lives, or life based on our surrender to Jesus as savior of our lives. No doubt the greatest work of the King is that of delivering us safely into the Kingdom where suffering, sorrow, disease, distraction, pain, and all curses as a result of the fall, will be non-existent. Heaven, where God’s will is perfectly carried out, 24/7. Though I’m far from a theologian, my plain understanding of Scripture causes me to consider that the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is also giving life (quickening) our mortal bodies in the here and now. As God continues to teach and grow me in the area of Divine healing, I can’t help but wonder if this passage contains a sweet double blessing.

Prayer: Lord, please continue revealing Your heart to us. Show us, God, the depth of this passage. We admit that Your Word is often too wonderful for us to even comprehend. We’re so grateful that the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and will also give life to these mortal bodies. We receive and welcome the life of Your Spirit in our bodies, both now and forever. Thank You for caring for us, and how we feel, even here in this vapor of life.

Day/Verse 32: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1

Romans 8 is quite possibly one of the richest of all chapters in Scripture, especially when it comes to the multiple promises and empowering truths it provides to each and every Jesus-follower. I’m blown away by how thick this statement (and chapter) is. Sometimes Scripture comes alive one layer at a time for me, how sweet is the Word! As I continue to keep an open eye to specific passages God may have me memorize/focus on, I’m struck by the fact that I could likely spend a week or two just committing to heart & mind the depth of Romans 8.

There is therefore now no condemnation. Jesus introduced, by the blood He willingly shed, the final end to condemnation. When a judge pronounces his verdict against an evil-doer, that man stands condemned – whether he agrees with the verdict or not. We were all born with a natural bend towards evil-doing. Jesus was sent to reclaim the hearts of evil men. Through one perfect Man, God damned condemnation for every sinner honest enough to surrender. Many in the world love the idea that all roads lead to God. This is true, every road does lead to God. The question is whether the road will keep you WITH God – meeting God face to face is a default, remaining in His presence is Jesus. The world may assume that because it does not believe in God it might whimsically wish Him away out of the picture. One of our roles, as believers in Jesus, is lovingly and brutally honestly helping the world understand that the goodness of God is only found in the shed blood of His Son.

..for those who are in Christ Jesus. The truth of freedom, the truth that sets men free is only found in the guiltless arms of Christ Jesus. Once our lives are surrendered to this King, all previous judgements that stood between us and a just God are recognized as paid in full. It just doesn’t get any better. This side of eternity, we don’t truly understand what a precious price was paid. It’s OK, one day we will. And we won’t just get it and loose it, we’ll get it and keep it for all eternity. What a promise! What a hope! I’m a sinful man who ought to be daily condemned for his disobedient heart. But, here, with Jesus standing in front of me – shouldering the imperfect from God who deserves perfection, the all-consuming fire of God does not see sinner destined for judgement – but sinner rescued toward saint. Apart from Jesus, there is no life. If you don’t know Jesus, cry out for His help now! He will come quickly to your side.

Prayer: Thank you, Abba Father, for Your willingness to provide Jesus as the high price that my sins required. Thank You for damning condemnation because I am in Christ Jesus. Please continue forming my life into Yours. Help the world around me see clearly the promise that Jesus has redeemed me and makes all things new. I am new. Thank You.