As For God, His Way Is Perfect.

 Excerpt - Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 8

We have learned about our relation to God through the Spirit, and of the help which the Spirit gives us in prayer,  as well as of the assurance that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose." The grounds for that assurance are infinitely strengthened in the verses that follow.

The Unspeakable Gift Romans 8:29-32

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. 30 Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Foreknowledge vs. Foreordination. The word "predestinate" is the same as "foreordain." Volumes of speculation have been written about these terms, but a few words are sufficient to set forth the facts. With respect to these, as well as the other attributes of God, it is sufficient for us to know the fact. With the explanation we have nothing to do.

It is plainly set forth in the Scriptures that God knows all things. Not only does he know the things that are past,  but he sees the future as well. 

"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." Acts 15:18.  "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off." Ps. 139:1, 2. Thus God can tell what people even yet unborn will do and say.

This does not make God responsible for the evil that they do. 

Some have foolishly thought it necessary to apologize for the Lord and to relieve him of the charge that if he is omniscient he is responsible for the evil if he does not prevent it, by saying that he could know if he wished, but that he chooses not to know many things.  Such a "defense" of God is both foolish and wicked. It assumes that God would be responsible for the evil if he knew it beforehand and did not prevent it, and that in order not to be in a position to prevent it, he deliberately shuts his eyes from it. Thus their "defense" really puts the responsibility for all evil upon God. Not only so, but it limits him. It makes him like a man.

God knows all things, not by study and research as man learns the little he knows, but because he is God. He inhabits eternity. Isa. 57:15. We can not understand how this can be any more than we can understand eternity.  We must accept the fact and be not only content, but glad, that God is greater than we. All time, past, present,  and future, is the same to him. It is always "now" with God.

The fact that God knew the evil that men would do, even before the foundation of the world, does not make him responsible for it, any more than the fact that a man can see by means of a telescope what a man is doing ten miles distant makes him responsible for that other one's actions. 

God has from the beginning set before people warnings against sin, and has provided them with all the necessary means for avoiding it; but he can not interfere with man's right and freedom of choice without depriving him of his manhood and making him the same as a stick.

Freedom to do right implies freedom to do wrong. If a man were made so that he could not do wrong, he would have no freedom at all, not even to do right. He would be less than the brutes. There is no virtue in forced obedience, nor would there be any virtue in doing that which is right if it were impossible to do wrong.  Moreover, there could be no pleasure or satisfaction in the professed friendship of two persons if one associated with the other just because he could not avoid it. The joy of the Lord in the companionship of his people is that they of their own free-will choose him above all others. And that which is the joy of the Lord is the joy of his people.

 

The very ones who rail against God for not preventing the ills that he forsees since he is all-powerful, would be the very first to charge him with cruelty if he did arbitrarily interfere with their freedom and make them do that which they do not choose. Such a course would make everybody unhappy and discontented. The wisest thing for us to do is to stop trying to fathom the ways of the Almighty, and accept the fact that whatever he does is right. "As for God, his way is perfect." Ps. 18:30.

A Companion of God.

 Excerpt - Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 8

Romans 8:26-28

 

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which can not be uttered. 27 And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

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Purpose of the Calling. 

God calls us "in the grace of Christ." Gal.1:6. 

"He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." Eph. 1:4. 

Still further, we read that he hath "called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 2 Tim. 1:9. In our text in Romans we learned that those who love God are the "called according to his purpose." His purpose is that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. If we yield to his purpose, he will see that it is carried out.

God designed man for a companion for himself. But there is no true companionship where there is restraint.  Therefore, in order that man might associate with him on terms of intimacy, he made the will of man as free as his own. God can not work against his own purpose; and therefore he not only will not, but he can not, force the will of man. All men are as absolutely free to choose as is God himself; and when they choose to yield to the call of God, his purpose of grace is wrought out in them by the power by which he is able to make all things work together for good.

All Things

 Excerpt - Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 8

Romans 8:26-28

 

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which can not be uttered. 27 And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

All Things Work for Good. 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God."  

Without this knowledge we could not have that confidence in prayer that we ought to have and that is indicated in the preceding verses. Whoever knows the Lord must love him, for he is love. And the Spirit reveals him to us.  Whoever knows that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," can not fail to love him. And then all things work together for good to him.

Take notice that the text does not say that all things shall work together for good to them that love God, but that they do so work now in this present time. Everything as it comes is good to those who love and trust the Lord.  

Many people lose the blessing of this assurance by reading it as though it were for the future. 

They try to be resigned to troubles that come by thinking that by and by some good will come from them; but in that case they do not get the good that God gives them.

Note further that the text does not say that we know how all things work together for good to them that love God. People in trouble often sigh piously and say, "Well, I suppose that it is all for good, but I can't see how." Of course not; and they have no business to see how. It is God that makes them work good, because he alone has the power.

Therefore it is not necessary for us to know anything about how it is done. The fact is knowledge enough for us.  God can overrule all the plans of the devil, and can make the wrath of man to praise him. 

Our part is to believe.  

There is no trust in the Lord if we must see how he does everything.

Those who must be able to see how the Lord works, show that they can not trust him out of sight, and thus they give him a bad name to the world.

Called of God. God has called everybody to come to him. "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."  Rev. 22:17. God is no respecter of persons; he desires that all men shall be saved, and so he calls them all.

Not only does he call us, but he draws us. No man can come to him without being drawn, and so Christ is lifted up to draw all to God. He tasted death for every man (Heb. 2:9), and through him all men have access to God. He has destroyed in his own body the enmity, the wall that separates men from God, so that nothing can keep any man from God unless that man builds up again the barrier.

The Lord draws us, but does not employ force. He calls, but does not drive. It remains therefore for us to make our "calling and election sure" by yielding to the influence that God throws round us. He says, "Follow me," and we must make the calling effectual by following him.

The Spirit

 

Something Worth Knowing Romans 8:26-28

 

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which can not be uttered. 27 And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

"Praying in the Spirit." The heart is deceitful above all things, and none can know it except God. Jer. 17:9, 10.  That in itself is sufficient reason why we do not know what we should pray for.

Moreover, we do not know the things that God has to give us; and even if we did, our lips could not describe them, for "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." 1 Cor. 2:9-12.

God desires to give to us "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Eph. 3:20. Of course a petition for such things can not be put into words. The next clause however says that it is "according to the power that worketh in us;" and the sixteenth verse tells us that the power that works in us is the Spirit. Thus we find the same thing that we read in the eighth of Romans and the second of 1 Corinthians.

"The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." Therefore the Spirit knows just what the Lord has for us. The deepest thoughts are too great for language, and so the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings that can not be uttered. But, although there is no articulate speech "he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." The Lord knows that the Spirit asks for just the things that he has to bestow. He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that whatever is asked according to God's will is granted. 1 John 5:14, 15.

Now note how this statement in regard to prayer fits in with what goes before in the eighth of Romans. God has given us his Spirit to be in us, to lead us, and to direct our lives. The possession of the Spirit of God proves that we are the sons of God. Being sons, we can come to him to ask for things to supply our need, with all the confidence of a child to a parent. But while we have all confidence, our thoughts are as the earth is below the heaven. Isa. 55:8, 9.

Not only are our thoughts feeble, but our language is still more so. We can not give proper expression even to the little that we do realize. But if we are the sons of God, we have in us his own representative, who helps our infirmity and who is able to take of the things of God to give to us. What wonderful confidence this should give us in praying to God; and especially should it give confidence to those who are particularly infirm in regard to language! It makes no difference if one has a very limited vocabulary, if he stammers, or even if he is dumb; if he prays in the Spirit, he is sure to receive all that he needs, and more than he can ask or think.

With these facts before us, how much more forcible becomes the exhortation of the apostle, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Eph. 6:18.

We Wait, We Hope.

With patience…we wait. There is no reward for us now. Now, we suffer. We suffer all the ills of the sin world we live in. Some live in agony from birth till death, this is truth. The suffering of some is more intense than we can truly imagine. Mentally, emotionally, physically there are so many agonies and Christ understood them all. People imagine that Christ didn't truly suffer while He lived upon earth, except during His torture near the end of His life. Christ suffered and suffers still as we suffer. Christ's connection with us so real that the God He is knows all our suffering. Christ went about from city to city healing more people than we can begin to imagine. Whole cities were free of illness, disease, injury, pain, evil spirits because Jesus ended the suffering of those He loved, of those He knew were caught up in the agonies of existing in a sin soaked world. He knew their pain and longed for them to be pain free, even if only for a little while. Christ knew then as He walked the earth during His three year ministry, and Christ knows now.  The reward will come, there is no doubt about it, no doubt at all. We suffer now, but we know one day that all the suffering will be over. We are promised a better country, a better world, a better life all in Christ. He will return, may we be ready for Him, our Hope now and always!

Excerpt- Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 8

Glorified Together Romans 8:17-25

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 

21 because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

24 For we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth,  why doth he yet hope for? 

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Why Suffering? Christ's life on earth was one of suffering. He was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."  He "suffered, being tempted," but his sufferings were not all in the mind alone. He knew physical pain; "himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases." Matt. 8:17. He suffered hunger in the wilderness; and his works of love were done at the expense of much bodily pain and weariness. The sufferings which he endured at the hands of the rough soldiers in connection with his mock trial, and his crucifixion, were simply a continuation in another form of what he had endured throughout his whole life on earth.

Glory Following Suffering. In all the prophets, the Spirit of Christ was witnessing and testifying of "the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." 1 Pet. 1:11. When Christ, after his resurrection, talked with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, he said. "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:26, 27. We know that the first part of those prophecies was fulfilled, and therefore must know that the rest are as sure. As surely as Christ suffered, so surely will the glory follow.

Suffering Together. Our suffering is to be "with him." We are not to suffer alone. But we could not suffer eighteen hundred years ago, before we were born. Therefore it follows that Christ still suffers. Otherwise we could not suffer with him. Read what is said of his connection with ancient Israel: "In all their affliction he was afflicted." Isa. 63:9. So in Matthew 25:35-40 we learn that Christ suffers or experiences relief whenever his disciples suffer or are relieved. He is the head of the body.

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 

Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 

Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 

Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Now if when one member suffers all the members suffer with it (1 Cor. 12:26), 

1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 

how much more must that be true of the Head! So we read of Christ that even now, as high priest, he is "touched with the feeling our infirmities."  Heb. 4:15. 

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 

A high priest must be one "who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity." Heb. 5:1, 2. 

Heb 5:1  For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 

Heb 5:2  Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

So we learn that Christ has never divested himself of the human nature which he took upon himself, but that he is still identified with suffering, sinful men.  It is a glorious truth, to be recognized and confessed, that "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." 1 John 4:2.

Glorified Together. "If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." Christ does not have anything that is not for us equally with him. His prayer was, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." John 17:24. And he says, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne." Rev. 3:21. Whatever he has, we have, and we have it when he has it, since we are joint-heirs with him.

There is Glory Now. The above statement may at first sight seem to be untrue. It is the common idea that Christ is glorified long before those who are fellow-heirs with him. One text is sufficient to settle this matter: "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." 1 Pet. 5:1. Peter declared himself to be a partaker of the glory. This was because he believed the saying of Christ, in his prayer for his disciples, "The glory which thou gavest me I have given them." John 17:22. 

If Christ has glory now, his disciples share it also. Again we have the words of the apostle Peter. Speaking of Christ, he says, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Pet. 1:8.

Grace and Glory Where Unexpected. The apostle John tells us that although we are now the sons of God the world knows us not, because it knew not Christ. There was nothing in the appearance of Christ on earth to indicate that he was the Son of God. Flesh and blood did not reveal that fact to anybody. To all appearance he was but an ordinary man. Yet all the time he had glory.

We read that when he turned the water into wine he "manifested forth his glory." John 2:11. His glory was manifested in the form of grace. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." John 1:14. The grace with which God strengthens his people is "according to the riches of his glory." Eph. 3:16. Whoever is in Christ is chosen "to the praise of the glory of his grace." Eph. 1:6. Grace is glory, but glory veiled so that mortal eyes may not be dazzled by it.

Glory Yet to be Revealed. "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." The glory is for us to possess now, but it will be revealed only at the coming of Christ. It is then that his glory will be revealed (1 Pet. 4:13), and then our trials will "be found unto praise and honor and glory."

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

Christ's glory has not yet been revealed, except to the chosen three on the mount of transfiguration. At that time the glory that Christ already possessed was allowed to shine forth. He appeared then as he will appear when he comes. But to the mass of mankind there is no more evidence now that Jesus is the Son of God than there was when he was before Pilate's judgment seat.

Those however who see it by faith and who are not ashamed to share his sufferings, also share his hidden glory;  and when he shall appear in his glory, "then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Matt. 13:43. That will be "the manifestation of the sons of God." Then for the first time Christ will be manifested to the world as the Son of God, and those who are his will be manifested with him.

The Hope of Creation. The word "creature" in verses 19-21 means the creation; this may be seen from verse 22 where we read of the whole creation as groaning, waiting to be delivered from that to which it has been made subject. When man sinned, the earth was cursed on his account. See Genesis 3:17. The earth had done no sin,  but it was made to share the fall of man, to whom it had been given. A perfect earth was not the dwelling-place for sinful man. But it was made subject to vanity in hope. God made the earth perfect. "He created it not in vain,  he formed it to be inhabited." Isa. 45:18. And he "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." Eph. 1:11.  Therefore the earth is sure to be glorified as it was in the beginning. "The creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God."

Adoption and Redemption. Both the earth and we are "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." The earth waits for it, because it can not be relieved of its curse until we are set forth as sons of God, and therefore lawful heirs. The Holy Spirit is the pledge of this heirship. The Spirit seals us as heirs, "unto the day of redemption." Eph. 4:30.

It is to us a witness that we are children of God, but the witness is not accepted by the world. They know not the children of God. But when that glory which he has given us is revealed, and our bodies are redeemed from destruction and made to shine like his glorious body, then there will be no doubt in the minds of any. Then even Satan himself will be obliged to acknowledge that we are God's children, and therefore rightful heirs of the glorified earth.

Hope and Patience. Hope, in the Bible sense, means something more than mere desire. It is certainty, because the ground of the Christian's hope is the promise of God, which is backed by his oath. There is nothing that our eyes can see to indicate that we are the sons of God. We can not see our own glory, and that is why we are charged not to seek it here. We can not see Christ, yet we know that he is the Son of God. That is the assurance that we are also sons of God. If there were any uncertainty, then we could not wait with patience. We should be uneasy, and should worry. But, although the natural eye can not see any indication that we are owned as God's children, faith and hope assure us of it, and so we with patience wait for that which is unseen.

Sons and Daughters of God.

 The eighth chapter of Romans is full of the glorious things that God has promised to them that love him.  Freedom, the Spirit of life in Christ, sons of God, heirs of God and with Christ, glory and victory, are the words that outline the chapter.

Sons of God Romans 8:9-17

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God; 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Opposing Forces. The flesh and the Spirit are in opposition. These are always contrary the one to the other. The Spirit never yields to the flesh, and the flesh never gets converted.

The flesh will be of the nature of sin until our bodies are changed at the coming of the Lord. The Spirit strives with the sinful man, but he yields to the flesh,  and so is the servant of sin.

Such a man is not led by the Spirit, although the Spirit has by no means forsaken him. The flesh is just the same in a converted man that it is in a sinner, but the difference is that now it has no power, since the man yields to the Spirit, which controls the flesh.

Although the man's flesh is precisely the same that it was before he was converted, he is said to be not "in the flesh," but "in the Spirit," since he through the Spirit mortifies the deeds of the body.

Life in Death. "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Here we have the two individuals of which the apostle speaks in 2 Corinthians 4:7-16. "For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." Then he says that "though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."  Though our body should fail and be worn out, yet the inward man, Christ Jesus, is ever new. And he is our real life. "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Col. 3:3.

This is why we are not to fear them that can kill only the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  Though the body be burned at the stake, wicked men can not touch the eternal life which we have in Christ, who can not be destroyed. No man can take his life from him.

The Surety of the Resurrection. "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Jesus said of the water that he gave, which was the Holy Spirit, that it should be in us a well of water springing up unto eternal life. John 4:14; compare John 7:37-39.

Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 

Joh 7:39  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) 

That is, the spiritual life which we now live in the flesh by the Spirit is the surety of the spiritual body to be bestowed at the resurrection when we will have the life of Christ made manifested in immortal bodies.

Not Debtors to the Flesh. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." We are indeed debtors, but we do not owe anything to the flesh. It has done nothing for us, and can do nothing. All the work that the flesh can do avails nothing, for its works are sin and therefore death. But we are debtors to the Lord Jesus Christ, "who gave himself for us." Consequently, everything must be yielded to his life. "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

Sons of God. Those who yield to the strivings of the Spirit, and continue so to yield, are led by the Spirit; and they are the sons of God. They are taken into the same relation to the Father that the only-begotten Son occupies. 

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." If we are led by the Spirit of God, we are now just as much the sons of God as we can ever be.

We Are Sons Now. There is a notion held by some people that no man is born of God until the resurrection. But this is settled by the fact that we are now sons of God. "But," says one, "we are not yet manifested as sons."  True, and neither was Christ when he was on earth. There were but very few that knew him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. And they knew it only by revelation from God. The world knows us not, because it knew him not. To say that believers are not sons of God now because there is nothing in their appearance to indicate it, is to bring the same charge against Jesus Christ. But Jesus was just as truly the Son of God when he lay in the manger in Bethlehem, as he is now when sitting at the right hand of God.

The Spirit's Witness. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God." How does the Spirit witness? This is answered in Hebrews10:14-17. The apostle says that by one offering he hath perfected them that are sanctified, and then says that the Holy Spirit is a witness to this fact when he says, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." That is to say, the Spirit's witness is the word. We know that we are children of God, because the Spirit assures us of that fact in the Bible.  The witness of the Spirit is not a certain ecstatic feeling, but a tangible statement. We are not children of God because we feel that we are, neither do we know that we are sons because of any feeling, but because the Lord tells us so. He who believes has the word abiding in him, and that is how "he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." 1 John 5:10.

No Fear. "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Tim. 1:7. "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:16-18.

 

Christ gave himself to deliver them who through fear of death were all their life subject to bondage. Heb. 2:15. He who knows and loves the Lord can not be afraid of him; and he who is not afraid of the Lord has no need to be afraid of any other person or thing. One of the greatest blessings of the gospel is the deliverance from fear,  whether real or imaginary. "I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Ps. 34:4.

 

Heirs of God. What a wonderful inheritance that is! It does not merely say that we are heirs of what God has, but that we are heirs of God himself. Having him we have everything, as a matter of course; but the blessedness consists in having him. "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup." Ps. 16:5. This is the fact; it is a thing to be meditated upon rather than talked about.

Joint-heirs with Christ. If we are sons of God, we stand on the same footing that Jesus Christ does. He himself said that the Father loves us even as he loves him. John 17:23. This is proved by the fact that his life was given for ours. Therefore the Father has nothing for his only-begotten Son that he has not for us. Not only so, but since we are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, it follows that he can not enter upon his inheritance before we do. To be sure, he is sitting at the right hand of God. But God in his great love for us "hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places." Eph. 2:4-6. The glory which Christ has he shares with us. John 17:22. It means something to be a joint-heir with Jesus Christ! No wonder the apostle exclaims, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."

Suffering with Him. "If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." "For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted." Heb. 2:18. Suffering with Christ means, therefore, enduring temptation with him.

The suffering is that which comes in the struggle against sin.

Self-inflicted suffering amounts to nothing. It is not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh. Col. 2:23. Christ did not torture himself in order to gain the approval of the Father. But when we suffer with Christ, then we are made perfect in him. The strength by which he resisted the temptations of the enemy is the strength by which we are to overcome. His life in us gains the victory.

In the preceding verses of the eighth chapter of Romans we have seen how we are adopted into the family of God as sons, and made joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit establishes the bond of relationship. It is the "Spirit of adoption," the Spirit proceeding from the Father as the representative of the Son, that proves that we are accepted as brethren of Jesus Christ. Those who are led by the Spirit must be even as Christ was in the world, and are therefore assured of an equal share in the inheritance with Christ. For "the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."

Death or Life, Flesh or Spirit.

 Sin Holds the Power of Death Eternal.

Christ Holds the Power of Eternal Life, By Destroying Death, Destroying Sin.

Living for our flesh existence is to live for death eternal. Living for our flesh is living carnally, focused on our flesh existence here and now. 

If we live Spiritually we are living for our spirit existence which is eternal. Yes, we have to be in our flesh until our temporary flesh death overtakes us, but we do not have to live consumed by the temporary flesh we inhabit.  That's just what we do though, isn't it? We are consumed by our flesh existence and drawn to its carnal nature. 

We focus on ourselves so much that being able to focus on anything else is hardly possible. Sometimes we spend our entire lives focused on our flesh life. Even when we interact with others and outward appear to be living to help we can be doing that with the true focus on how that interaction makes us feel about ourselves. There is a very vicious cycle of living flesh focused. There are many traps all around us to help us delude ourselves that we are living spiritually, when the truth is just the opposite.

God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit!

Joh_4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We must worship God in spirit and truth!

To live for our carnal nature is to gain eternal death. There is no spirit hope, no spiritual life for those who live for the flesh. 

What does it mean to live spiritually? 

It means to live for God, as God would have us live. Our lives are to be focused on God and His word. Our lives are to be lived under His royal law expounded upon and kept perfectly by Jesus, God in the flesh.  Our focus… this is something we dictate by our thoughts, the things we do, the things we surround ourselves with, the choices we are capable of making. There is so much in our lives that we have no control over, but that which we do have control over we have to use that control towards the spiritual life that God would have us focus upon. We must truly have our treasures laid up in heaven, not here. We cannot live a life focused on our flesh life and expect to be spiritually minded.

Satan will take great pains to keep us self-focused, flesh focused in any way he possibly can.

We must take up our cross daily, we must pray for our daily bread, we must seek Christ while He can be found, we must remember our carnal nature will war against our spirit. We must recognize the war and choose the spiritual victory in Christ, daily.

All through HIS mercy and grace, HIS love, HIS sacrifice! All glory to HIM!

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR, now and forever! 

Amen!

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(Excerpt) Articles on Romans  by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 8

"Life and Peace." 

Rom 8:6 "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." 

To be spiritually minded is to have a mind controlled by the law of God, "for we know that the law is spiritual." "Great peace have they which love thy law." Ps. 119:165. "Being justified [made righteous] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

The carnal mind is enmity against God. Therefore, to be carnally minded is death. But Christ "hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10. He has abolished death by destroying the power of sin in all who believe in him; for death has no power except through sin. "The sting of death is sin." 1 Cor. 15:56. So that even now we may joyfully say,  "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."