Romans Chapter 8

Workings of the Spirit

Chapter 8, Verse 11 

Rom. 8:11 "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

There are four great workings of the Spirit of God that are either directly mentioned or alluded to by this verse of scripture: 

1.  The Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead.  There are recorded eight other raisings of natural bodies from the dead in the scriptures.  These  eight people that were raised from the dead were raised back to a natural life such as they had prior to dying in the first place.  They were raised back to life and then a little later they died again.  Jesus' raising from the dead was different.  When the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, he was raised to a glorified body.  This glorified body of Jesus will never die again.   

          2.  The word "also" in verse 11 alludes to a previous raising of the elect from a dead state.  When the elect were spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, they were quickened into Spiritual life (Eph. 2:1).  Jesus said in John 5:25, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."  This quickening of the Holy Spirit into spiritual life gives us a life and abilities that we did not possess before.  Due to this quickening into spiritual life, we can seek after God and we can understand the things of the Spirit of God.  We can also do well, and we can see and enter the church kingdom of God here on earth.  In addition, we can worship God in Spirit and in truth and we can fear God.  This is just a small sampling of things that we can now do because we have been quickened into spiritual life. 

3.  Once we were quickened into spiritual life, the Holy Spirit now dwells in us.  He has taken his abode in our hearts.  There are many blessings to us because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  We have received through the indwelling of the Spirit of God, the spirit of adoption whereby we cry "Abba Father."  The Spirit makes intercessions for us with groaning that cannot be uttered.  The Spirit leads us and teaches us.  The Spirit comforts us and causes us to hope.  The indwelling Spirit gives us spiritual gifts.  Again, these are just a few of the blessings that we have through the indwelling of the Spirit of God in our hearts.  

4.  Finally, there is the promise that we who have the indwelling Spirit shall also have our mortal bodies quickened into glorified bodies.  This will take place at the resurrection of the dead in the last day when Christ shall return again to take his people home.  This is our precious hope and will be the final fulfillment of the covenant of redemption. 

Chapter 8, Verses 12, 13 

Rom. 8:12 "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

It is to the brethren that Paul addresses these remarks.  Thus they are addressed to born again children of God who are members of the church at Rome.  Since these statements are to spiritually born children of God, the death Paul writes about is not eternal death, but rather a death to fellowship and a death to the blessings of the church and the blessings of a close walk with God and his obedient children while we sojourn in this life.         

Throughout the previous verses in chapter 8, Paul has shown forth numerous reasons why we are not debtors to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  The flesh and its deeds has brought nothing but sin and death unto us and all the subsequent maladies associated with sin.

Mortify the deeds of the body.

Contrary to walking after the flesh, we should walk after the Spirit and through the indwelling Spirit we should mortify the deeds of the body.  The word, "mortify," means to put to death.  We are not to mortify the body, but the deeds of the body.  Through walking in the Spirit and following the teachings of the word of God we put to death the works of the flesh that are set forth in Gal. 5:19-21: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."           

When we walk in the Spirit we live that spiritual life in the kingdom of heaven and enjoy the blessings of fellowship with God, the approval of God, and the felt presence of the Lord in our daily lives. 

Chapter  8, Verses 14-17

Rom. 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." 

In this passage Paul sets the principle of how that we can be assured that we are of the elect of God and have been born of the Spirit and what we can look forward to as a result of being children of God.         

Assurance of Salvation

Having evidences of being a child of God means that we can be assured of our salvation and that heaven will be our home after this world is over.  We have all the assurance of all the blessings promised in the covenant of redemption.  Being led by the Spirit of God is one of the strongest assurances that we are a child of God.  Paul said, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."  Thus, anyone who has experienced the leadership of the Spirit of God is a son of God.  While there are many other evidences of being a child of God, such as belief, chastisement, bearing the fruits of the Spirit, the leadership of the Spirit of God is one of the strongest evidences that we have of being one that was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.         

Another assurance of being a child of God is found when a person cries out to God for help.  This cry of "Abba, Father" is a result of having received the Spirit of adoption.  A person will not cry out to God until he has been born of the Spirit and thus received the Spirit of adoption.  Having the Spirit of adoption causes us to realize that we have a heavenly Father and to cry out unto him for our needs and help.  The Spirit of Adoption will not make us to feel that God is a terror (spirit of fear) unto us, but rather that as a Father he has our best interest at heart.           

Once we have the evidences of being a child of God, we are brought to the knowledge that we have an inheritance awaiting us.  We are heirs of God.  We are not separate heirs, but we are joint heirs with Christ.  There is a difference between being a separate heir and being a joint heir.  Please consider the following examples to show the difference between being a separate heir and a joint heir:                  

1.  A man has 40 acres of land and four children.  In his will, he makes the four children separate and equal heirs.  This means that at his death the four children will each inherit 10 acres of land.                 

2.  Another man has 40 acres of land and four children.  In his will, he makes the four children joint heirs.  This means that at his death the four children will together jointly own the entire 40 acres of land.         

God has made us joint heirs with Jesus Christ.  This means that everything that is Jesus Christ's each of us will have in joint ownership with him!!  I find this to be one of the most remarkable statements in the entire scriptures.  I cannot begin to imagine what a great inheritance each of God's children shall share with our elder brother, Jesus Christ.           

"If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."  This does not mean our personal sufferings here in time, but rather it means that in covenant we were in Christ when he suffered on the cross for us, thus we suffered with him.  Likewise, as Christ was glorified, we in covenant, are glorified with him and in the resurrection we will bear glorified bodies just as Christ bore after his resurrection.