In the last two posts I’ve been talking about the internal conflict that I believe every Christian has. I set out to prove the reality of this conflict by looking at the one that Paul seems to be claiming as his own in Romans, chapter 7. However, the comments of others have forced me to rethink and continue on into chapter 8, where the conflict continues, though some new details are added.
Romans 8:1-15:
1. So then, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
2. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and of death.
3. For the inability of the Law in that it was weak through the flesh – God by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh,
4. in order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
5. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.
7. Because the mind of the flesh is enmity toward God, for it is not submitted to the Law of God, for it isn’t even able to.
8. And those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.
9. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God has His home in you; and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
10. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11. And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead is at home in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.
12. So then brothers, we are obligated, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh,
13. for if you live according to the flesh you’re going to die! But if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you’re going to live!
14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15. For you haven’t received a spirit of slavery for fear again, but you have received a Spirit of Adoption by whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”
Some notes:
1. The flesh is not left behind in chapter 8. It is apparently still with us. The word “flesh” is used 13 times in the first 15 verses, as well as the synonyms “the body” (verses 10, 13) and “your mortal bodies” (verse 11).
The big change in this chapter is that the work of the Holy Spirit is introduced. The word “Spirit” is used 15 times, all but one of which refer to the Holy Spirit (verse 15 – “a spirit of slavery).
2. I translated to phronema tes sarkos as “the mind of the flesh” in verses 16 and 17, and to phronema tou pneumatos as “the mind of the Spirit” in verse 16, for the following reasons: Colossians 2:18 uses a similar expression, tou noos tes sarkos, which would be translated “the mind of the flesh” in the context; the phrase tou phronema tou pneumatos is usually translated as “the mind of the Spirit” in verse 27. This translation fits the context of a struggle between two sources of thought, rather than two directions of thought. In other words, our flesh has a mind of its own!
3. We need to distinguish those things which are true of every believer (position), from those which the believer is exhorted to do (practice).
Every believer is:
• uncondemned (1)
• “freed from the law of sin and of death” (2)
• “according to the Spirit” (5)
• “able to please God” (8, 9)
• “not in the flesh, but in the Spirit” (9)
• indwelt by the Spirit (11)
• destined for resurrection (11)
• not obligated to the flesh (12)
• “led by the Spirit” (14; see Galatians 5:8)
• a Son of God (14)
Every believer, however, is exhorted to:
• “walk according to the Spirit” (4; see Galatians 5:16, 25)
• “by the Spirit put to death the practices of the body” (13)
So now I’d like to restate the above situation in my own words.
Whenever a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, certain changes are made within him. (These are changes by God’s reckoning and cannot be perceived with our physical senses.) His “old self” dies in relation to sin and the Old Testament Law (Romans 6:1-7:6). He is a new creature, freed from the power and authority of sin and the Law. This new person now has a mind that desires to do what is right, in conformity with God’s law.
However, while he is a new creature spiritually, he still is in his old sinful body, his flesh. His old self, though “dead,” still has its desires and renders the believer incapable of doing the good that his mind desires. Thus the believer has an internal conflict, from which there is no escape in this life.
But the believer is also indwelt by the Spirit of God, who leads him in the direction he should go. It is no longer a matter of simply choosing to do good, but a matter of choosing to follow the Spirit’s leading. The believer who in himself is unable to please God is able to please God because of the work of the indwelling Spirit.
Most of us, I believe, can find or have found ourselves caught up in the conflict of Romans 7. The conflict is always with us. It is not a matter of getting beyond the conflict, or of reaching some new higher plane where we are above it, but of recognizing all that we are and have in Jesus Christ and of deliberately choosing to take advantage of our privileges; of choosing to “follow the Leader.”
Thanks, Mike and Sherry, for your insights.
Bill Ball
6/30/2009
Bill's Thoughts on the Bible, Theology and American Culture
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
THE TRINITY
A friend of mine who is attending seminary e-mailed me that he was assigned to ask the following question of three men in the ministry: “How does the Trinity impact your ministry and message?”
My first question back to him was: “Do you mean the doctrine or the Persons of the Trinity?”
Answer: “He didn’t say.”
This is a tough one. I’d never considered it.
Well here goes.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that my ministry and my message is the wrong place to start. I must start with my own personal relationship with God. Jesus, in His prayer in John 17:3 said, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and the One whom you sent – Jesus Christ.” Tie that with the passages earlier in John’s gospel where Jesus spoke concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and we see the ministries of the three cannot be separated (as we often do in theology class):
”But the Helper (parakletos), the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and will remind you of all things that I told you” (John 14:26).
“Whenever the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father … He will testify about Me” (John 15:26).
“He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and He will report it to you” (John 16:14).
Also see John 14:16, 17; 16:7, 8, 12, 13.
In John 17:1, the Son asks the Father to glorify Him, as He has glorified the Father, yet earlier He said the Spirit would be the One who would glorify Him.
Look at the passages about their mutual love:
“But that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father commanded Me, so I do …” (John 14:3`).
“Even as the Father has loved Me, I also love you” (John 15:9).
“You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).
I hope I’m not sounding sacrilegious when I say that we have in the Trinity a sort of “mutual admiration society.” If God’s main desire and purpose is to bring about His own glory, I believe we can conclude that the desire and purpose of each Person of the Trinity is to bring about the glory of the other Persons.
So where am I going with this? The God I know is a Trinity, and it is only as the Trinity that I can really know Him.
So how does this affect my ministry and message? It means that their purpose must be to bring people into this knowledge of the one God who is three persons.
I believe that having a (reasonably) clear understanding of the three Persons is essential for a clear message: knowing not only what it is that distinguishes the Persons, but also their different works.
I believe that the average Christian is very vague in his/her understanding of the Trinity. We hear it in their prayers. We hear the Father being thanked for dying for us. We hear prayers closed “in Thy name,” without, I believe a real understanding of whose name it is. (We can, however, be thankful that though “we don’t know how to pray as we should … the Spirit intercedes for us … and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is …” Romans 8:26, 27.) Many think of Jesus, in His incarnation, almost as if He were some sort of theophany and have little understanding of His real humanity. The Holy Spirit seems to be thought of as some sort of “force” rather than a real Person. We may confess a belief in the Trinity, but to many, the doctrine is avoided or ignored as though it were beyond comprehension by any but professional theologians. Yet the Christian who does have some understanding and is able to relate this to life can really grow.
So the Trinity is central to my message and my ministry. No matter how the gospel is presented, no matter how I tailor the message, it must always involve the three Persons. If not, it is defective.
When we tell people that Christ died for their sins, we have to know and explain Who Christ is – not merely a good man, not merely a theophany – but God in the flesh. And we have to communicate what sin is – an offense against a Holy God – the Father of the One who died. And we must understand that the message itself would make no sense to its hearers without the illuminating work of the Spirit.
And I can only perform my ministry in relation to the Trinity. Following the example of the incarnate Christ, I must live in submission to the Father empowered by His Spirit.
Bill Ball
1/31/2007
My first question back to him was: “Do you mean the doctrine or the Persons of the Trinity?”
Answer: “He didn’t say.”
This is a tough one. I’d never considered it.
Well here goes.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that my ministry and my message is the wrong place to start. I must start with my own personal relationship with God. Jesus, in His prayer in John 17:3 said, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and the One whom you sent – Jesus Christ.” Tie that with the passages earlier in John’s gospel where Jesus spoke concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and we see the ministries of the three cannot be separated (as we often do in theology class):
”But the Helper (parakletos), the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and will remind you of all things that I told you” (John 14:26).
“Whenever the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father … He will testify about Me” (John 15:26).
“He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and He will report it to you” (John 16:14).
Also see John 14:16, 17; 16:7, 8, 12, 13.
In John 17:1, the Son asks the Father to glorify Him, as He has glorified the Father, yet earlier He said the Spirit would be the One who would glorify Him.
Look at the passages about their mutual love:
“But that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father commanded Me, so I do …” (John 14:3`).
“Even as the Father has loved Me, I also love you” (John 15:9).
“You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).
I hope I’m not sounding sacrilegious when I say that we have in the Trinity a sort of “mutual admiration society.” If God’s main desire and purpose is to bring about His own glory, I believe we can conclude that the desire and purpose of each Person of the Trinity is to bring about the glory of the other Persons.
So where am I going with this? The God I know is a Trinity, and it is only as the Trinity that I can really know Him.
So how does this affect my ministry and message? It means that their purpose must be to bring people into this knowledge of the one God who is three persons.
I believe that having a (reasonably) clear understanding of the three Persons is essential for a clear message: knowing not only what it is that distinguishes the Persons, but also their different works.
I believe that the average Christian is very vague in his/her understanding of the Trinity. We hear it in their prayers. We hear the Father being thanked for dying for us. We hear prayers closed “in Thy name,” without, I believe a real understanding of whose name it is. (We can, however, be thankful that though “we don’t know how to pray as we should … the Spirit intercedes for us … and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is …” Romans 8:26, 27.) Many think of Jesus, in His incarnation, almost as if He were some sort of theophany and have little understanding of His real humanity. The Holy Spirit seems to be thought of as some sort of “force” rather than a real Person. We may confess a belief in the Trinity, but to many, the doctrine is avoided or ignored as though it were beyond comprehension by any but professional theologians. Yet the Christian who does have some understanding and is able to relate this to life can really grow.
So the Trinity is central to my message and my ministry. No matter how the gospel is presented, no matter how I tailor the message, it must always involve the three Persons. If not, it is defective.
When we tell people that Christ died for their sins, we have to know and explain Who Christ is – not merely a good man, not merely a theophany – but God in the flesh. And we have to communicate what sin is – an offense against a Holy God – the Father of the One who died. And we must understand that the message itself would make no sense to its hearers without the illuminating work of the Spirit.
And I can only perform my ministry in relation to the Trinity. Following the example of the incarnate Christ, I must live in submission to the Father empowered by His Spirit.
Bill Ball
1/31/2007
Thursday, June 29, 2006
SIGN GIFTS
A friend of mine sent me the following e-mail and I thought I’d include it and my reply on my blog:
“Hi there. I have been having theological discussions with my husband and I am wondering about spiritual gifts. What is the Scriptural evidence that certain gifts have ceased? This is really something that I don't know with any certainty, but now that my kids are older and we have some friends who are Charismatic and others who are staunchly Reformed cessationists and we even have some who are Reformed Charismatics....I am realizng I don't have good answers for my children! Can you direct me in Scripture to something that may clear it up a little. :)
I appreciate, in advance, any help you can offer.
Muddled, _______________”
Dear Muddled --
I had never heard the word “cessationist” until 10 or 15 years ago. One of my students asked me if I was a cessationist and I told her, “No, I think Texas should stay in the Union.” ;^)
I can’t really call myself a cessationist because I can’t find any evidence that the “sign gifts” have totally ceased. I have many students of just about every theological persuasion, so like you, I count both charismatics and cessationists among my friends.
However, I believe that the charismatics are incorrect in seeking the sign gifts for the following reasons (not all of these apply to all charismatics):
1. They read the Book of Acts (and sometimes the Gospels) as prescriptive rather than descriptive. Acts is a history book and describes the development of the early church. It does not instruct us to do as the early Christians did. Just because Peter and Paul healed and laid hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit does not mean that we must.
As a matter of fact, Acts presents the miracles as rare and limited to only a few persons.
2. When Paul tells the church at Corinth to “earnestly desire the greater gifts” (l Corinthians 12:31), he is speaking to the church, telling them to seek for these gifts to be exercised in the assembly. He was not telling them as individuals to seek to acquire or even develop these gifts. The giving of these gifts is in the sovereign will of the Triune God (12:4-7).
3. At least one gift, the gift of apostle, has clearly passed. An apostle was one who had seen Christ risen and been sent out (Greek apostello) by Him (Acts 1:15-26); 1 Corinthians 9:1, 2). Paul in Ephesians 2:20, refers to the apostles and prophets as foundational to the church. This could imply that the gift of prophet, too, has passed.
4. There is evidence that the sign gifts were especially meant for the first generation Christians and were not common among those of the second generation. In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul speaks of having performed “signs and wonders and miracles.” These he refers to as (literally) “the signs of the apostle.” If anyone could perform them how could they validate his apostleship?
The author of Hebrews, apparently a second-generation Christian, speaks of “signs and wonders and … various miracles and … gifts of the Holy Spirit” as confirming the message of “those who heard” the Lord (that is, the first generation) “to us” (2:3, 4).
Can God use the sign gifts today? God is God and can do what He pleases. But should we expect them to be the norm for the church today? No – I don’t believe it was the norm for any generation.
Trust this helps,
Bill Ball
6/29/2006
“Hi there. I have been having theological discussions with my husband and I am wondering about spiritual gifts. What is the Scriptural evidence that certain gifts have ceased? This is really something that I don't know with any certainty, but now that my kids are older and we have some friends who are Charismatic and others who are staunchly Reformed cessationists and we even have some who are Reformed Charismatics....I am realizng I don't have good answers for my children! Can you direct me in Scripture to something that may clear it up a little. :)
I appreciate, in advance, any help you can offer.
Muddled, _______________”
Dear Muddled --
I had never heard the word “cessationist” until 10 or 15 years ago. One of my students asked me if I was a cessationist and I told her, “No, I think Texas should stay in the Union.” ;^)
I can’t really call myself a cessationist because I can’t find any evidence that the “sign gifts” have totally ceased. I have many students of just about every theological persuasion, so like you, I count both charismatics and cessationists among my friends.
However, I believe that the charismatics are incorrect in seeking the sign gifts for the following reasons (not all of these apply to all charismatics):
1. They read the Book of Acts (and sometimes the Gospels) as prescriptive rather than descriptive. Acts is a history book and describes the development of the early church. It does not instruct us to do as the early Christians did. Just because Peter and Paul healed and laid hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit does not mean that we must.
As a matter of fact, Acts presents the miracles as rare and limited to only a few persons.
2. When Paul tells the church at Corinth to “earnestly desire the greater gifts” (l Corinthians 12:31), he is speaking to the church, telling them to seek for these gifts to be exercised in the assembly. He was not telling them as individuals to seek to acquire or even develop these gifts. The giving of these gifts is in the sovereign will of the Triune God (12:4-7).
3. At least one gift, the gift of apostle, has clearly passed. An apostle was one who had seen Christ risen and been sent out (Greek apostello) by Him (Acts 1:15-26); 1 Corinthians 9:1, 2). Paul in Ephesians 2:20, refers to the apostles and prophets as foundational to the church. This could imply that the gift of prophet, too, has passed.
4. There is evidence that the sign gifts were especially meant for the first generation Christians and were not common among those of the second generation. In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul speaks of having performed “signs and wonders and miracles.” These he refers to as (literally) “the signs of the apostle.” If anyone could perform them how could they validate his apostleship?
The author of Hebrews, apparently a second-generation Christian, speaks of “signs and wonders and … various miracles and … gifts of the Holy Spirit” as confirming the message of “those who heard” the Lord (that is, the first generation) “to us” (2:3, 4).
Can God use the sign gifts today? God is God and can do what He pleases. But should we expect them to be the norm for the church today? No – I don’t believe it was the norm for any generation.
Trust this helps,
Bill Ball
6/29/2006
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