[Chapter 8-5] Walking in The Righteousness of God (Romans 8:12-16)
(Romans 8:12-16)
“Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the
flesh. 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. For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you
did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received
the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
Paul
the Apostle, as a man who received salvation from God, said that the
born-again believers should not live according to the flesh, but the
Spirit. In particular, Paul said that if we, who have the righteousness
of God, live according to the flesh, we will die, but that if we live by
the Spirit, we will live. We must thus believe in this truth. What,
then, should those who believe in God’s righteousness live by? Should
they live according to the righteousness of God or the lust of the
flesh? They must know what is right and discipline their bodies to
devote themselves to the righteous works of God.
The unavoidable obligation
Paul
claimed that we have an obligation to live according to the Spirit, not
our sinful nature, because we Christians have been saved from God’s
wrath and led into His righteousness. Before we became aware of the
righteousness of God and believed in it, we could not live according to
the Spirit. But now that we know and believe in God’s righteousness, we
can devote our hearts, thoughts, talents, bodies, and time to His
righteous works. We should use ourselves as tools in preaching the
righteousness of God and doing His righteous works.
Living according to the flesh
If
you are in Christ and live by your sinful nature and not by the Spirit,
the Bible states that you will perish just like all unbelievers. That
is because even though you are a born-again Christian, you do not in
fact live according to God’s righteousness. If you are to be a true
Christian, you should no longer live by the flesh, but by the
righteousness of God, for you are destined to serve His righteousness
because you believe in it. If you live only according to the flesh in
spite of this, your spirit will die. However, if you live according to
the righteousness of God, you will live in peace forever.
Sons of God
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
Those
who believe in God’s righteousness received the Holy Spirit as a gift,
and the Holy Spirit leads them. These are the “sons of God.” The “sons
of God” have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. As such, those who do not
have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them are not His. The starting point
in following God begins with faith in His righteousness. It starts by
believing in the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit to
become a child of God. In other words, becoming God’s child begins by
believing in the gospel of His righteousness. It means that you become a
family member of God by believing in His righteousness, and that God
has given His righteousness to save you from your sins.
When
Jesus was visited by Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, Jesus told him that no
one could become a child of God unless he/she is born again of water
and the Spirit. Nicodemus was marveled by this and asked, “How can a man
be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I
say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you,
‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear
the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.
So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8).
Jesus
said that one who is not born of water and the Spirit cannot understand
the meaning of being born again. The faith in the baptism that Jesus
received from John the Baptist and the blood that He shed on the Cross
enables those who believe in His righteous act to receive the
righteousness of God. Those who believe in the Word of the gospel are
able to receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. One can reach the
righteousness of God by believing in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit. Everyone who accepts God’s righteousness can become a child of
God. Those who become His people are our brothers and sisters.
The Spirit bears witness that we are children of God
“For
you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The
Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of
God” (Romans 8:15-16).
There
are only two ways in which we can bear witness to the fact that we are
the children of God. First, the righteousness of God that is revealed in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit has made us His children; and
second, the Holy Spirit comes to us. The Holy Spirit works within the
gospel of the water and the Spirit. God planned all these things. Having
faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the witness in
ourselves that tells us that we have become the children of God. Those
who have become God’s children by knowing and believing in the
righteousness of God have the right to pray to God as “Abba,” our
Father.
Let
us try to think rationally. How can someone with sin in his/her heart
call God his/her Father? God the Father has never kept a sinner as His
child, and a sinner has never served God as the Father. You must look
inside yourself and see if, by any chance, you are also making a mistake
like this. Those who bear witness to becoming the children of God
through the Holy Spirit are those who believe in the righteousness of
God. We must think deeply about God’s righteousness.
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