Some, realizing that their body needed to be dealt with, have practiced asceticism. Asceticism is mainly to deal with this body of sin, of death, of bad practices in a severe way. But in Romans Paul is not speaking concerning asceticism. God’s salvation does not need asceticism. Actually, Paul did not say that our body needs to be put to death, but that the practices of our body need to be put to death. He makes a distinction between the body and the practices of the body. Our body needs to be redeemed, but the practices of our body need to be put to death. To try to put your body to death is asceticism, a kind of suicide. According to human history, asceticism has been taught in many places. It was taught not only among the Greeks, but also by the Chinese, the Japanese, and by the Hindus. In many places asceticism has been taught. This means to deal severely with your sinful body.
But the Bible never tells us to deal with our body; it says to put to death the practices of our body. This is the way to understand the Bible. Even some Christians have tried to deal with their body in a way of asceticism. For example, a gambler who became a Christian eventually cut off one of his hands, trying to stop his gambling. But even after cutting off his hand, he could still use his arm to gamble. So, to cut off the hand is a kind of asceticism. The Bible does not encourage us to do this. The Bible says to put to death the practices of your body. Do not deal with your body. You have to wait for your body to be redeemed. But you have to deal with the practices of the body. But how can you deal with the practices of your body?
The Bible says by the Spirit deal with the practices of the body. The confirmation is in the next verse which speaks of being led by the Spirit. We shouldn’t commit a kind of spiritual suicide to practice asceticism over our body. But we have to realize that a kind of salvation has been infused and transfused into our being, that is, the indwelling Spirit. The indwelling Spirit is our salvation. Whenever your body wants to practice something, you have to turn to your spirit and let the indwelling Spirit do something. The work of the indwelling Spirit will surely put that practice of your body to death. This is to be led by the Spirit.
In the last message we mentioned that there is a difference between walking according to the Spirit and being led by the Spirit. The difference is this: to walk according to the Spirit is somewhat general, but to be led by the Spirit is very specific. We have two things dwelling within us: one is sin, and one is the Holy Spirit. Our body energized by the indwelling sin is very diligent. It is altogether not lazy, or idle, or dormant. Our body is always active. But the Bible doesn’t ask you to deal with your body, but rather with every activity of the body, every practice of the body, by the Spirit’s leading. When you deal with every practice of the body, every activity of the body, that is actually to be led by the Spirit. The Spirit leads you all the time to deal with your body’s practices. From morning to evening the indwelling Spirit always leads you to put to death the practices of your body.
You may say that you are walking according to the Spirit, but then a time comes when you are desirous to exchange an unpleasant word with your wife. That is the time for you to be led by the Spirit. This means to let the Spirit kill your exchanging tongue, your word-exchanging activity. Sometimes even if you try to be quiet, the wife would somewhat be used to stir up the practices of your body to speak something. Yet you have to be led by the Spirit to put to death the practices of your body. Regardless of how much you walk according to the Spirit, you have to kill every practice of the body by being led by the indwelling Spirit. Every time you kill a practice of the body by the Spirit, that is actually being led by the Spirit.
This would mean that you are no more simply a child of God, but a son of God. If you don’t kill the practice of exchanging unpleasant words with your wife, this means you remain in your childhood. But if, by the Spirit, you kill one practice of the body after another, it is a sign that you are no more a child but a growing son. This is the way to grow. To grow is to kill every practice of our body by the Spirit. To grow is to be led by the Spirit. This corresponds with Romans 6:6. If you kill every practice of the body by the Spirit, your body is eventually unemployed. It is spontaneously fired. It has nothing to do. It is only a fired body that is good for you to present to God. You must present an unemployed body to God. If your body is still so much employed by many things, you cannot present that body to God. If you present to God a body which is fully occupied by many items, there is no room for God to come in to use you. Your body is already fully employed by your daily practices.