If we walk according to spirit and set our mind upon the spirit, then spontaneously we shall by the Spirit put to death the practices of the body. Concerning this, Paul says, “For if you live according to flesh, you are about to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live” (v. 13). If we live, walk, and have our being according to spirit and set our mind on the spirit, then continually we shall by the Spirit put to death all the practices of the body. Then we shall be absolutely under the divine dispensing, and we shall participate in this rich dispensing and enjoy it. Furthermore, if we walk according to spirit, set our mind on the spirit, and put to death the activities of the body by the Spirit, we shall automatically be in the Body in a practical way.
In chapter eight of Romans Paul says that our spirit is life, that the mind set on the spirit is life, and that life may be supplied to our mortal bodies (vv. 10, 6, 11). Then in chapter twelve Paul goes on to speak again concerning the spirit, the mind, and the body. First he speaks of the body, then of the mind, and then of the spirit. In 12:1 Paul says, “I beg you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well-pleasing to God, which is your most reasonable service.” Here Paul speaks about the presenting of the body. In verse 2 he goes on to speak concerning the mind: “And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that you may prove by testing what the will of God is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” In this verse Paul speaks of the renewing of the mind. In verse 11 he says, “Not slothful in zeal, burning in spirit, serving the Lord as a slave.” Therefore, in Romans 12 we have a presented body, a renewed mind, and a burning spirit. By this we can see a link between chapters eight and twelve. In both chapters we have the body, the mind, and the spirit worked upon by the Spirit of life.
If we do not by the Spirit put to death the practices of the body, how could our body ever be presented to the Lord for the Body life? This would be impossible. In order to have our body presented to God for the Body of Christ, we need to put to death the practices of the body. The reason this putting to death is necessary is that our body is occupied by many different kinds of practices. For example, a young brother may stay away from the church meetings for a few weeks. When he returns to the meetings, he may claim that in the past weeks he has been too busy to attend the meetings. Actually, this brother has been busy with certain practices that have kept him away from the meetings. He has had time to do what he wanted to do, but he did not have time to come to the meetings.
Let us use as a very practical illustration the matter of talking on the telephone. When some sisters begin talking on the telephone, they go on and on, talking perhaps for more than an hour. Although they have the time to talk on the telephone, they may tell you that they do not have the time to pray or to come to the church meetings. Therefore, the practice of talking too long on the telephone must be put to death. When you are tempted to talk unnecessarily, by the Spirit you need to put to death that practice of the body. This will save you a great deal of time, and it will also make it possible for your body to be presented to the Lord for His Body.
We have pointed out that if our body is occupied by certain practices, it cannot be presented to the Lord. A young sister may spend much time in front of the mirror dressing herself, but she may say that she does not have the time to read the Bible. A brother may spend much time reading a newspaper and yet claim that he does not have time for the church life. I hope that through these illustrations we shall see that if we do not put to death the practices of the body, we shall not be able to present our body for the church life. Our body must be emancipated from all different kinds of practices.
But how can our body be emancipated? The only way for the body to be emancipated is for us to put to death by the Spirit the practices of the body. Only then will we have time and will our body be presented to the Lord for His Body. Therefore, the body must first be set free from various practices, and then it can be presented to the Lord according to Paul’s word in 12:1.