In verses 3 and 4 God has passed through the processes so that there can be an issue—that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk according to spirit. To cooperate with this law is to walk according to spirit and to walk according to spirit is the way to cooperate with this working law. The law has been installed, but the law’s function and the law’s operation needs your cooperation. And your cooperation is just to walk according to spirit.
Now we come to the burden of this message. There is a special word in verse 5. Verse 4 speaks of walking according to flesh, but in verse 5 the word “walk” is changed to the word “are”—those who are according to spirit. Have you ever noticed the change in these two words? You have to realize that you may walk according to spirit and yet not be according to spirit. Actually, in Greek the word “walk” really means to have your being, but in English “walk” may be different from being. In English you may walk one way and be another way. But in the Bible to walk is to be. Walking is your being. So verse 4 says we walk according to spirit, and verse 5 says we are according to spirit. This is not just some doings or some activities according to spirit. It means the entire being is according to spirit. You don’t need to pray that much. You need to see a view that the law is working within you, and this law is nothing less than the Triune God who, after being processed, is indwelling your being. You need to have a clear view about this law. Then you simply need to be a person who is according to the spirit. Why do we need to be according to the spirit? Because this law who is the Triune God and who is the indwelling Spirit is a Spirit. Not only is He a Spirit, but He as the Spirit is in our spirit. These two spirits are together in us. So we must be people who are according to the spirit. In a sense you need to forget about praying concerning your besetting sins and your temper. You just need to be according to the spirit. You need to be a person who is according to the spirit. You need to be a person who not only walks according to spirit, but who is according to spirit. Even if you are not doing anything as far as walking, you are still according to spirit. This means you are a person, a being, according to the spirit. When you are such a person according to spirit, what do you need? Surely you need nothing. When you are according to the spirit, this law works spontaneously because you are according to the spirit.
Sometimes before doing something we would practice something that is not so perfect. We would check whether this is according to the spirit. Before writing a letter or before buying something, we might check: Is this according to spirit? This kind of practice is not perfect. Rather, we should check whether or not we all the day are according to spirit. You must realize that to be according to the spirit is much more than to walk according to the spirit. You may be able to say that your reading of a newspaper or your shopping or your writing of some letters is according to spirit, but probably you cannot say that your being, your entire being, is according to the spirit.
Many times after doing things according to the spirit, we would take a vacation for a few hours. Later, when we start to do something we are reminded that we should do everything according to spirit, and then we come back to the spirit. A little while later we may take a second vacation. Every day we have too many vacations. We may do this thing according to spirit, and we may do that thing according to spirit, but we ourselves are not according to spirit. Our doings may be according to spirit, but our being is not.
We all must look unto the Lord! “Lord, have mercy upon me! Just have mercy upon me! Lord, through Your mercy I’ve been brought into such a desperate state. I’m here, Lord, and I’m desperate. Have mercy upon me that I may have the grace to practice this one thing—that my entire being would be according to the spirit. Lord, grace me that my being may be according to the spirit. I don’t want just to do things according to the spirit. I want to have my being, my entire being, according to the spirit!”
To have our being according to the spirit is the genuine walking according to the spirit. Otherwise, our walking according to the spirit is not so genuine, not so perfect. We must have our being according to spirit. When we are according to spirit, the law, that is, God Himself, works within us spontaneously, freeing us from sin and death. It frees us from the law of sin and death. I encourage you to bring this matter to the Lord, and ask Him to show you the view of these few verses at the beginning of Romans 8.