Romans 6:4 says, “Even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Instead of remaining under the reign of death, we should walk in newness of life and stay on the line of life. The next verse says, “For if we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” As we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, that is, in the baptism mentioned in verse 4, so we shall also grow together with Him in the likeness of His resurrection, that is, in the newness of life as mentioned in verse 4. To grow together in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection is to be in newness of life. Then verse 11 tells us to reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. These verses indicate that in chapter six also there are both the line of life and the line of death.
Now we come to chapter seven, a chapter that many Christians do not like very much. Here, instead of life, we find killing and death. Verse 11 says, “For sin, taking occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.” Sin is a murderer that uses the law as its weapon to kill us. This should warn us not to turn to the law. If we do, sin will rise up as if to say, “How good that you have turned to the law! You have just given me an excellent opportunity to use the law to kill you.” As one who had been killed in this way, Paul cried out in verse 24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” “This death” refers to the death caused by sin through the weapon of the law.
As we go on from chapter seven to chapter eight, we find that in this chapter life is primary, not death. Romans 8:2 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and of death.” Hallelujah for the law of the Spirit of life! Verse 10 continues, “And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is life because of righteousness.” According to verse 6, if our mind is set on the Spirit, our mind also will be life. Furthermore, if the life-giving Spirit dwells in us, that is, makes His home in us, He will even impart the divine life into our mortal bodies (v. 11). Therefore, not only our spirit and mind are life, but even our mortal bodies can be enlivened. According to Romans 8, all three parts of our being, our spirit, soul, and body, can receive life. Our spirit is life because Jesus Christ has entered into our spirit. Our mind can be life because the indwelling Christ is spreading from our spirit into our mind. Furthermore, this spreading of the divine life will even reach our mortal body and enliven it. Praise the Lord for the life in Romans 8!
As we have pointed out, in this chapter there is a fourfold life: life in the divine Spirit, life in our human spirit, life in our mind, and life in our mortal body. But although there is such a fourfold life in Romans 8, death is still present. Not until we come to Revelation 20 will there be only life and no death. At that time, death, the last enemy, will be cast out of humanity and into the lake of fire. Therefore, in the New Jerusalem there will be only the element of life, not the element of death. However, within us today we have both the element of life and the element of death.
All married brothers and sisters know that the husbands should love their wives and that the wives should submit to their husbands. However, in Genesis 2 we read nothing about husbands loving wives or wives submitting to husbands. Nevertheless, such things are included in the word “good” in verse 17. For a husband to love his wife or for a wife to submit to her husband is to do good. On the contrary, for a husband to hate his wife or for a wife to rebel against her husband is to do evil. At the end of the Bible we again find the words “life” and “death,” but not the words “love” and “submission.” Therefore, both in the beginning of the Bible and at the end, both in Genesis and in Revelation, we have life and death. It is the same in Romans 5 through 8. In these chapters Paul says nothing about husbands loving wives or wives submitting to husbands. He speaks elsewhere about these matters but not here. Instead, in these chapters he lays great emphasis on life and death and seems not to care about love or hate, submission or rebellion.
It is possible to be very loving or submissive and yet be dead. In His economy God does not mainly care whether we are good or evil, submissive or rebellious; He cares only whether we are living or dead. Every wife who is dead and buried in a cemetery is submissive; she never expresses her opinion. But God does not want a dead submission. He desires that we all be living. This is the reason that in Romans 5 through 8 Paul does not speak about submission or rebellion but about life and death. Romans 8:6 does not say that the mind set upon the spirit is submission and that the mind set upon the flesh is rebellion. When Paul wrote this portion of the Word, he was fully in the Spirit of God and in God’s economy; he did not care for either good or evil but only for life and death.
Good and evil belong to the tree of knowledge, which is the tree of death. Right and wrong also belong to this tree. Thus, we should not be concerned about right and wrong but about life and death. In God’s economy it is not sufficient merely to be good. We may be good and yet still be dead. God’s economy requires that we be in life. It is possible to be dead right and livingly wrong. A kindergarten is filled with noisy boys and girls, but these children are very living. Although kindergarten children may be noisy and sometimes naughty, I prefer their situation over the quiet and orderliness of a cemetery. All those buried in a cemetery are lawful and well regulated, but they are dead. Do you prefer to be livingly wrong or dead right? I prefer to be living.