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Romans 8:12 continues the truth that the mind of the flesh is in a state of conflict or war with God, because it cannot receive the things of the spirit of Christ, which are freely given as a gift by God.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die; but if you through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall life. For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Most people live indebted to the flesh. To job, family, friends, church, their emotions, health, etc. Their lives are ruled by fleshly and psychological responsibility. Many embrace this duty, others try to avoid it; but in any case, this sense of responsibility rules their lives. Whether embracing it or running from it, this sense of obligation in and to our fleshly life is a powerful, all-encompassing, unrelenting force which must be dealt with continually.
From the time we wake up in the morning (sometimes it even keeps us up at nights) until we close our eyes and welcome sleep at night, the needs, obligations, duties, and responsibilities we have in our fleshly lives and minds and feelings are demanding our attention and fealty. They want to rule our minds and hearts, and they indicate to us that they will not go quietly away until they have been met, served, accomplished, maintained and/or finished; but even then they do not willingly depart.
Most Christians think that being responsible is God’s will, so they serve this fleshly indebtedness with a high moral attitude, as if them serving their flesh is a Godly response to their being saved by grace. But this is erroneous! God did not send His son to save us so that we could become really really responsible in the flesh! The world says, “The reward for work well done is more work.” God says otherwise. He says, “The reward for work well done is rest.”
Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.
The awareness of the mind which lives so indebted to the flesh is that only death will free it from this responsibility. And here is where the death of Jesus Christ has done its perfect work; that dying, Jesus has freed us from the powerful need to walk in any indebtedness to the flesh ….. at all! By his death he freed me from any fleshly indebtedness, because his death served as my death, as regards any fleshly debt.
Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin (and its demands).
Well thank you very much! I am now freed from any indebtedness to my flesh, but I am dead, so I don’t even know I’m free, much less am able to enjoy my freedom. In death what will you do? Nothing. (see study What is Death and Hell?) But because he died for me, I can enjoy being debt free while still alive!
Romans 6:8 Now since we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also (now) live with him;
I took a look in my trusty E.W. Bullinger’s A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament for the word “responsibility” or “responsible” and I could see that neither one of those words is used a single time in the New Testament! Then I took my Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible and found the same to be true for the Old Testament. Neither “responsible” nor “responsibility” are ever found in the King James Version of the Bible…… anywhere!
What about responsibility to my family? (Family – a Biblical Perspective). What about responsibility to my job, my friends, my self? What about responsibility to my church, my religion, my moral obligations?
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
Until you have died to self, to your need to satisfy your flesh’s moral demands, you cannot serve God. Until you are seated in Christ at the right hand of his Father, God, you will be talked out of serving Him. Until your indebtedness to Christ overrules your indebtedness to the flesh, you will be ruled by your flesh.
Colossians 3:1-4 Since you are then risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things which are on the earth; For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When you believed unto Jesus Christ, your old self died. That righteousness of God which became yours the moment you first believed unto Jesus was the gift of God’s life which came when the old you died. You cannot live your old life and successfully live your new life in Christ. If you were dead and in the ground you would do nothing to satisfy your fleshly responsibilities. In Christ your fleshly indebtedness has disappeared, because your old self with its obligations has died.
I have experienced many many Christians unable to pursue the things of God because they are so frazzled from keeping all their responsibilities of this earthly life. Their responsibilities to wife and children, to earning money to pay the bills, to parents, to their own entertainment, to their own “down time.” Yet they seem to have no time for seeking Christ. These are wonderful believers with sweet, compassionate hearts, having their spiritual life choked out of them by their fleshly responsibilities.
Hebrews 4:1,2 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard.
They didn’t believe God had done it all, but rather carried on in their unbelief in their indebtedness to fleshly responsibility. They said, “God supplies my needs” and then worried about where the money would come from to pay the bills.
Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed do enter into rest, as He said, “As I have sworn in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest;” though indeed the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Israel was promised “the promised land.” It was sitting there waiting for them. Theirs for the taking. God told them it was theirs for the taking, but the people chose to believe 10 out of the 12 “spies” who were sent to search out the land who reported that the inhabitants of the promised land were too great to conquer, that they (Israel) would not be able to take the land from them. And so they “wandered” in wilderness for 40 years in their unbelief until those who did not believe had died. Even though God had given Israel the promised land 40 years earlier, (to God it was a done deal) the people chose not to believe it, staying indebted to their fleshly abilities and responsibilities and limitations.
Hebrews 4:10,11 There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
It is much easier to believe that Jesus died for your sins when you feel guilty about them, than to accept the rest of God which is rightfully yours in Christ! It is so much easier to continue to try to alleviate the pressure of your earthly responsibility than it is to rest in the peace and righteous holiness which is freely given you by Christ Jesus. It is much easier to continue on in your fleshly indebtedness than it is to simply believe that Christ is enough. God says, “Okay, you’ve come to Christ. I’ve got it from here.” And we say, “Thanks but no thanks, I’ve got responsibilities to keep!” And thus we reject the offering of God, which is Christ Jesus the Lord.
You will surely say to me, “But I’ve got to feed my family. But I’ve given my word. But I’ve got duties to maintain.” And I will answer, “You died in Christ. Christ is your whole life! Seek Christ!”
Galatians 2:20 I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I can live my life in Christ, having his thoughts my thoughts, his heart my heart, his priorities my priorities and still work, feed my family, train my children, take care of myself. But my life in him is number 1; greater than my marriage, my health, my children; my profession. And when he speaks, I listen, and in him I have only one responsibility:
Romans 13:8a Owe no man anything, but to love one another;
The mind of earthly responsibility cannot love another with God’s love, for that mind does not have God’s love to give. It is too busy paying its never-ending debt to the flesh, so that it can not freely accept and walk in the giftings and fruitfulness of the spirit of Christ.
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Freedom in Christ
Tollroad Christianity
Spiritual Pinball
Dying to Self
Get Over Yourself
