Romans 8:4 says, “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to flesh, but according to spirit.” The fact that 8:3 ends with a comma indicates that what was accomplished in that verse is for the following verse. God condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. There was an impossibility related to the law of God due to the flesh. Therefore, God sent His Son “in the likeness of the flesh of sin” and condemned sin, solving the dual problem of sin and the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. The “us” refers to those “who do not walk according to flesh, but according to spirit.” Paul’s writing is marvelous. In 8:2 he mentions the Holy Spirit and in 8:4 he refers not only to the Holy Spirit, but even the more to the human spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life, and the human spirit indwelt by and mingled with the Holy Spirit is the very spirit according to which we walk. The Holy Spirit of life is in our human spirit. If we walk according to this mingled spirit, all the righteous requirements of the law will be fulfilled spontaneously. There is no need for us to keep the law. The requirements of the law are fulfilled spontaneously by the law of the Spirit of life.
The next verse offers some further explanation. “For those who are according to flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to spirit, the things of the Spirit.” After mentioning the Spirit of life and the human spirit mingled with the Holy Spirit, Paul comes to the mind. Paul has mentioned the mind previously in 7:25, which says, “With the mind I myself serve as a slave the law of God….” The phrase “with the mind I myself” indicates that the mind in 7:25 was independent. The mind in chapter eight is different; it is a mind set upon the things of the Spirit. In Romans 7 the mind goes out to act independently; in Romans 8 the mind returns to rely upon the spirit, no longer acting on its own.
The mind has the position of a wife. The wisest way for a wife to live is not to act independently, but to come to her husband. If the wife has a difficulty, she should not deal with it on her own. She should refer it to her husband. In Romans 7 the mind was independent, a wife behaving as a husband. In Romans 8 the mind maintains her position as the wife, no longer going out on her own, but always returning to the husband. The mind in chapter eight says, “Dear husband spirit, what should I do?” The husband spirit responds, “Dear wife, you don’t need to do anything. I will take care of the situation.” Romans 7 and 8 show us that the same mind may have two different actions. In chapter seven the mind acts independently in a wrong, self-assuming position as the husband. In chapter eight the mind becomes the proper wife, maintaining her rightful position and returning to rely upon her husband, the spirit.
We conclude with 8:6. “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” From this verse we can see that even the mind can be life. The independent mind cannot keep the law of God, but the mind set upon the spirit is life and peace. Such a mind is full of enjoyment and rest. Peace is for rest and life is for enjoyment. When the mind is set on the spirit, there is no defeat, condemnation, or negative feelings—only life and peace, enjoyment and rest. The very mind that, in itself, is unable to keep the law of God can be a mind of life and peace by being set on the spirit.
This is not a theory; it works in practice. If you practice it, you will see for yourself. Paul did not write Romans 8 according to theory, but according to his experience. It is easy for the law to be fulfilled spontaneously. In fact, we do not even need to do it ourselves, for the law will be fulfilled in us spontaneously and subconsciously. Even though we have no intention of fulfilling the law, we find that it is fulfilled. You may have no intention of loving your wife, yet you love her unconsciously. You may have no awareness of submitting to your husband, yet you are entirely submissive without realizing it. This is the spontaneous, automatic fulfillment of the requirement of the law by having the mind set upon the spirit.
In both 7:25 and 8:6, the mind, whether it is independent of or dependent upon the spirit, represents the person himself. So, when the mind is independent of the spirit it means that the person acts on his own, not relying upon the spirit. But when the mind is dependent on the spirit the person does not act on his own; he relies on the spirit. Hence, to have the mind set on the spirit means to have our whole being set on the spirit and to act according to the spirit. As Christ now is the life-giving Spirit indwelling our spirit as our life and our everything, we should no longer act on our own according to our independent mind. We must keep our mind one with our spirit and act, walk and have our being according to the spirit that we might be freed from the law of sin and from the flesh and that we might spontaneously fulfill the righteous requirement of the law of God. This is to be set free from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. This is also to enjoy the indwelling Christ as our life and life-supply.