Romans 8:5 says, “Those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit.” The verb in verse 4 is walk, but the verb in verse 5 is are. Being according to the flesh or the spirit implies more than walking according to the flesh or the spirit. We need to not only walk according to the spirit but also constantly be according to the spirit, not according to the flesh.
A living according to the spirit and not according to the flesh is the realization of an inward law—the law of the Spirit of life (v. 2). The law of gravity keeps us on the ground. If we jump into the air, the law of gravity will immediately bring us back to the ground. However, if we are in an airplane, another law, the law of aerodynamics, is applied to us to keep us off the ground. One of these two laws will always be applied to us. If we want to remain on the ground, we need only to stay away from the airplane. However, to remain in the air does not require a great effort. Instead, we must only enter into an airplane. If we are in an airplane, it can overcome the power of gravity to lift us off the ground. Being according to the flesh is like remaining on the ground, and being according to the spirit is like being in an airplane. The law of the Spirit of life in our mingled spirit has the power to overcome the law of sin and of death in our flesh. Which law is applied to us depends entirely on our choice. If we choose to be according to the spirit, the law of the Spirit of life will spontaneously free us from the law of sin and of death. The law of the Spirit of life does not need our help, but it needs our consent. We do not need to do anything to free ourselves from the law of sin and of death. We only need to be according to the spirit.
The secret of being according to the spirit is to make a choice. We must tell God, Satan, ourselves, and the entire universe, “I hate to be according to the flesh. I like to be according to the spirit. I do not know what is the spirit, but I know what is the flesh, and I choose not to be according to the flesh.” Then we will make it. We should not be concerned about our natural disposition and shortcomings. Instead, every morning as soon as we wake up and every night before going to bed, we can practice to declare our choice to be according to the spirit.
Paul wrote Romans 8 not only according to his revelation but also fully according to his experience. According to verse 5, we need to mind the things of the Spirit. To mind the things of the Spirit is to set our mind on the things of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 2:14 Paul mentions the things of the Spirit of God. The things of the Spirit of God are the deep things of God (vv. 10-11) concerning Christ as our portion (vv. 2, 9). No one was born, raised, or educated to have a habit of setting the mind on the Spirit. However, the Bible teaches us to habitually and continually set our mind not on the things of the flesh but on the things of the Spirit. We need to build up such a habit. We should never allow our mind to be vacant. If we allow our mind to be vacant, problems will immediately come in. Our mind will never stay vacant for long; it will always be occupied by something—either by the things of the flesh or by the things of the Spirit, the things concerning Christ. We need to exercise to keep our mind occupied by the things concerning Christ not only in the meetings but also in our daily life, family life, marriage life, school life, and job life. It is dangerous to have a vacant mind at any time or place. In order to prevent demonic things from coming in, we must fill our mind with something, and the best contents with which to fill our mind are the things concerning Christ. Thus, we must declare that we choose to be not according to the flesh but according to the spirit, and we must continually have our mind occupied with the things of the Spirit, the things concerning Christ.
The two spirits, the divine Spirit with our human spirit, connect all the things concerning Christ to our mind. As long as our mind is connected to the things concerning Christ by the two spirits, we are victorious. Our mind represents our entire being. When our mind is vacant, our entire being is open to the enemy. We know this according to experience. When our mind is vacant, only evil thoughts come in. In order to overcome the evil thoughts, we must fill our mind with the things of Christ. If a jar is filled with something, dirt cannot get in, because the jar is full. However, when the jar is empty, contamination can easily get in. Our being is a vessel, and our mind is the mouth, the opening, of the vessel. The only way to protect our mind and our being from dark things is to be filled with pure things, the things of Christ. This is a battle. The secret of spiritual warfare is not to allow our mind to be vacant. It is especially dangerous to let our mind be vacant in the morning and when we are resting. When we are busy with school or work, those things occupy our mind. When we try to rest, our mind may become vacant, and evil things may come in. Therefore, especially when we are not busy, we need to exercise to fill our mind with the things of the Spirit, the things concerning the glorious Christ. This is our victory.
Romans 8:13 says, “If you live according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.” According to my experience, verse 13 is a direct continuation of verse 5. If we set our mind on the things concerning Christ, we immediately put to death all the practices of our body. After we rise up in the morning, we quickly begin to consider many things that we intend to do. More than nine out of ten things that we intend to do are of the flesh. Therefore, we need a lot of putting to death. If our flesh says, “Make a phone call to So-and-so,” making this phone call is a practice of our body that needs to be put to death. Perhaps we intend to have a talk with our spouse, but we are actually planning to avenge some offense. This too is a practice of the body that needs to be put to death. If we consider our basic intentions, we will discover that nearly every practice of our body needs to be put to death. The practices of the body are mainly our habits. We need to put to death not only our bad habits but also our good habits. Every practice of our body needs to be put to death by the Spirit.
We may wonder how we can live after so much putting to death. Actually, the more we put to death, the more we live. Following verse 13, verse 14 continues, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Thus, our putting to death the practices of our body by the Spirit is the leading of the Spirit of God. After the putting to death, we know what the Spirit wants us to do, and we have the clear leading. When we feel that we do not know what to do, it is because we are not putting to death the practices of our body by the Spirit. Once we put to death the practices of our body by the Spirit, we will know what the Lord’s leading is.
Verse 15 says, “You have not received a spirit of slavery bringing you into fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father!” The experiences in verses 13 and 14 eventually lead us to cry, “Abba, Father!”
Now we have seen the way to live by the divine life. First, we need to declare that we choose to be not according to the flesh but according to the spirit (vv. 2, 4). Second, we need to continually set our mind on the things concerning Christ (v. 5). Third, we must put to death the practices of the body by the Spirit (v. 13). Then spontaneously, we will cry, “Abba, Father! Father, I have put to death everything but You. So I cry to You, Abba, Father!” If we practice these things, we are living by the divine life.