4. The Benefits of being Spiritually-Minded (Romans 8:5-8)

Paul in these verses succinctly divides the human race into two groups and describes the basic outlooks of each. One group is controlled by the flesh and therefore think about the things of the flesh; the other group is controlled by the Spirit and therefore think about the things of the Spirit. It is obvious, from Paul’s description, that there are different levels within each group.

Paul here in Romans 8 is describing Christians in general and contrasting them with non-Christians. Yet although he speaks in rigid contrasts between those living by the flesh and those living by the Spirit, we should not imagine that Paul was not aware of backsliders, which means that we should note that Paul, in not mentioning such, is not denying that some true believers may backslide occasionally and perhaps backslide almost to where they were before conversion. No doubt, if he were to refer to such, Paul would say that their backsliding was caused by tampering with the things of the flesh.

Nor is Paul denying that each Christian has the remnants of corruption or the flesh within him. Elsewhere Paul says that, in Christians, the flesh lusts against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). Since it is very difficult at times to grasp the apostle’s understanding of the inner life of a Christian, we often use an illustration in order to get a hold of what he means, but when doing so, we have to be careful that we don’t make the illustration into a reality. One area of confusion concerns what is called the old nature and the new nature. If all we mean by them is that there are two conflicting principles within a Christian’s heart, then there is not a problem. But some people mean that the old nature is what makes them sin and the new nature is what makes them do good things, and even say that the new nature does not sin. Such an idea is wrong. It is better to say that a Christian has an imperfect nature that is still affected by sin but which is also being renewed gradually by the Holy Spirit. When I sin, I cannot blame the old nature as if I was not responsible for what I have done.

In considering how we may be affected by the flesh, we must remember that the flesh can show itself in a wide variety of ways. Often we tend to see it when it comes with overt desires to sin. Yet we should also be alert to the presence of self-righteousness. And that is not always easy. Take, for example, pride and humility. When Paul exhorted his readers to follow his example (Phil. 3:17), he was not being proud; when he said that he had fought a good fight (2 Tim. 4:7), he was not being proud. But Peter was proud when he said that he would not deny Christ (Mark 14:31). What mattered was the state of heart. Paul was not self-confident, but Peter was. It is similar with humility. When Moses responded to God and said that he should choose someone else because of Moses’ perceived inadequacies (Exod. 4), Moses was not expressing humility. But when Paul said that he could do all things through Christ’s strength (Phil. 4:13), he was expressing humility.

Often words can be used to conceal the real state of things. An expression of complaint about one’s sins may be genuine or may be a cover-up for having refused to confess it to God and repent of it. One Christian man was asked by his friend regarding the greatest spiritual danger he faced. He replied, ‘Unrighteous self.’ His friend responded that he knew a greater danger, which was ‘Self-righteous self.’

But as I have said, in these verses Paul describes Christians as those who mind the things of the Spirit. This obviously means that a Christian normally lives according to the Spirit’s desires.

The things of the Spirit
Paul’s words indicate that a Christian thinks about the things of the Spirit. What are the things of the Spirit that he wants us to think about?

One answer to the question is that he wants us to think about Christ. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:25-26: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ The Spirit’s task is to instruct us in the things of Christ.

Of course, the Holy Spirit is not limited to bringing us things about Jesus, for he also teaches us to think about the Father and the Holy Spirit, about God in general. And as with the things of Christ, there is a vast range to focus on here. We can think about his attributes and his promises. There are too many for us to mention here, but let us focus on one attribute and one promise.

Think of his power, which is seen in the creation and maintaining of the universe. That same power works on our behalf, as Isaiah the prophet reminded the faithful of his day: ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint’ (Isa. 40:28-31).

Or we can look at a promise, from Isaiah 43:2: ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.’ There is the promise of his presence in trials, of his protection when they are at their worst.

Basically the things of the Spirit are found in the Bible, so it is important for us to know its contents. After all, he is the one who inspired it and guided its authors to include what they wrote.

Christian thinking
What does Paul mean by ‘thinking’, because I suppose every person thinks about the Bible at some stage. It does not merely refer to an intellectual assessment of a matter. What are some of the features of Christian thinking?

First, it is usually spontaneous, which means that it does not require other incidents to trigger it off. For example, when trouble comes, people will often think of God. That is good, of course. But a Christian does not need these outside influences to remind him to think of God and his ways. His thinking is spontaneous because his relationship to God is one of love. A lover automatically things of the beloved, and should not need reminding. A Christian automatically thinks of God when the indwelling Spirit is at work in his life.

Second, a spiritually-healthy Christian will think of God and his purpose revealed in the Bible more often than he thinks of anything else. Obviously, other matters will cross his mind, but they should not be more dominant than the contents of the Bible.

Third, such a Christian will think of God in ways suitable to his current situation. If he has sinned, he will think of God’s forgiveness; if he is under temptation, he will think of God’s help; if he is facing choices, he will think of God’s promises of guidance; if he is going through difficult providences, he will think of God’s wisdom and power. In times of joy he will recall that the goodness of God leads to repentance; if he is facing turmoil, he will think of the peace that God has to give. There are many ways of thinking suitably about the things of the Spirit.

Fourth, such a Christian finds satisfaction in thinking about the things of the Spirit. This satisfaction is very enjoyable and comes in such a way that causes the believer to want more. The psalmist affirmed in Psalm 119:14: ‘I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.’

These details remind us of the importance of meditation and prayer. Said the psalmist in Psalm 104:34: ‘My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.’ Also in Psalm 119:97 he stated, ‘O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.’ This is what Joshua encouraged the children of Israel to do: ‘This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success’ (Josh. 1:8). Engaging in spiritual thinking gives increased understanding of God’s ways and ensures discernment when facing hard situations.

Needless to say, the devil will do his best to stop you thinking. One part of the Christian armour is the helmet, which illustrates divine protection for our minds. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they need to wear this helmet continually: ‘But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation’ (1 Thess. 5:8).

Perhaps we find it difficult to think clearly and in a constant manner. Some legitimate situations make it difficult, for example, mothers with young children. But usually we need to take steps to create situations for meditation. These include setting aside a time for doing it that will not be interrupted, determination to stop our minds wandering, turn everything that comes into our minds into prayer, and praying for God’s help to enable us to think about the things of the Spirit. A Christian should think about God generally and specifically.

The blessed effect
Paul writes that the consequence of spiritual-mindedness is life and peace. By life, he means that our graces will grow and the fruit of the Spirit will multiply. Our faith will be increased, our hope will be strengthened, and our love will be warmer.

There will also be peace. Paul told the Philippians that protective peace would come if they prayed and thought of the right things: ‘do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you’ (Phil. 4:6-9).

So there will be personal peace (in Isaiah 26:3 the prophet proclaimed, ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’ ). And there will also be corporate peace in the church. When a congregation is made up of people who are meditating on the things of the Spirit, there will be genuine fellowship and spiritual harmony. We are to ‘pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building’ (Rom. 14:19).