Finally, there is a hidden point in this verse. This verse shows us three kinds of persons. The first kind of person is an unsaved person. This is implied in the last sentence: “But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him.” This “he” refers to an unbeliever, to one who is not saved. Then in the first sentence there are two kinds of persons. One kind is saved, but only has the Spirit of God in him; he does not have the Spirit of God residing in him. He is a saved person, but he is not in the spirit. Then there is the third kind of person, that is, a saved one who is also in the spirit, having the Spirit of God residing in him. If Christ is not in you, you are the first kind of person, an unbeliever, an unsaved one. Verse 10 refers to the second kind of person, because although his spirit is alive, his body is still dead. He has the divine life only in his spirit, not in his body. The third kind of person is also enlivened in his body. Between verses 10 and 11 is the word “but” which gives us a contrast. “But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from among the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ Jesus from among the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you” (Rom. 8:11). This means the third kind of person also has life given to his mortal body. Some have used this verse when talking about divine healing. However, I have seen some very spiritual persons who were the third kind of person, yet they were sick in their physical body. Yet at the same time the Spirit of God who raised Christ from among the dead was giving them life. In a physical sense they were sick, but in a spiritual sense their body was very living.
You have been saved and you have Christ in your spirit making your spirit life, but your body remains dead. Why? Because the divine life has not saturated your body. The divine life remains in your spirit and has not spread to saturate your body. But then verse eleven indicates that the very God of the Spirit of resurrection will give life to your mortal body through the Spirit of resurrection. A brother may be sick and yet have the Spirit of God in him, even residing in his entire body and in his entire being. When you contact him you could realize that the divine life is saturating even his mortal body. At that time his body is not the flesh because all the practices of his body have been put to death.
I don’t mean that to apply Romans 8:11 to divine healing is wrong, but to apply it to divine healing first is wrong. It must be second. When you would let the Spirit of God make His home in your entire being, the divine life will saturate your body, making your body spiritual and making your body no more the flesh. If this is the case, this situation will heal you. Suppose you are sick and ask the Lord to heal you. The Lord might say He cannot heal you because your body still is too active. Your body is sick, but your body is too active apart from the Spirit. His Spirit in you has no chance to saturate your sick body. You must put the practices of your sick body to death. If you kill all the practices of your sick body, then He will saturate your body with His divine life. That will heal you, but that must first make you spiritual. Then it will heal you. If you mean business with the Lord for Him to heal you, you must kill all the practices of your body. Although your body may be sick, at the same time it is a strong flesh. Your body is so active in your sickness.
The divine life in your spirit is one thing; the divine life spreading into your body is another thing. These are two stages. The divine life remaining in you makes you a saved person, a believer. But it is not until this divine life in your spirit spreads into your body, saturating your body with the divine life, that you become not only a saved believer, but also saturated with God. It is such a person with a released, unemployed body who can present his body to God for the Body of Christ.
Verse 12 reads, “So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to flesh.” We are not debtors to the acting body to live according to the acting body. If you live according to flesh, that is, according to the acting body, you are about to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). These verses show us what it means to be led by the Spirit. It is to set your mind upon the spirit and kill the practices of the acting body by the Spirit. Then you are practically the sons of God. Strictly speaking, verse 14 does not refer to the leading of the Spirit to go to a department store or to fly to New York or to go to the mission field or whom you should marry. It means that every minute in the day you set your mind upon the spirit and you kill, putting to death, every activity and every practice of your body by the Spirit of God. If you set your mind on the spirit to kill every practice of your body, that is to be led by the Spirit. And this is to live the life of a son of God. How could you prove to people that you are a son of God? By setting your mind upon the spirit and by putting to death all the activities of your body. Even if you serve a cup of tea to someone, you would not do it apart from the Spirit. You do it through the Spirit.
My burden is to point out to you that until you live in this way—setting your mind upon the spirit and putting to death all the activities of your body—you are not adequate for the Body of Christ. It is at that point you become a really spiritual person. You are not only spiritual in your spirit and not only spiritual in your mind, but also spiritual in your body. You become a person entirely spiritual. At that point you are adequate to realize the Body life of Christ.