THE CHRISTIAN ‑‑‑ A MAN IN THE SPIRIT
Romans 8:5‑9
The Christian is man in the Spirit of God. This is the reason that the law of God is fulfilled in his life. After affirming that God's purpose in sending His Son to the earth was that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, he explains how this is made possible. This is made possible because Christians are people who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Our text, which follows this word, is an explanation of how and why this is true. In the explanation the place of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is emphasized.

In order to understand this passage, there are two words that we must understand. They are "flesh" and "Spirit". "Flesh" is used in various ways in Scripture. Sometimes it is used of the physical body. Our bodies are flesh. Sometimes it is used as a descriptive word to refer to all mankind. However in the writings of Paul it is often given a moral significance. It is used to refer to the sinful nature of man, the bent toward sin which is so evident in man. This is the way that the word is used in our text. It is used of man apart from the change and influence of divine grace. It is what man is by nature. By nature, apart from God, man is flesh. "Spirit" needs to be capitalized throughout this passage for it is a reference to the person of the Holy Spirit.

In the eyes of God there are only two kinds of people. There are people who are "in the flesh" and who walk "after the flesh". These are those lost from God, the unregenerate. Then there are the people who are "in the Spirit" and who walk "after the Spirit". They are the saved, the regenerate. Those "in the flesh" do not belong to God, but those in the "Spirit'' are His. These two groups are contrasted in our text. The focus however is on those "in the Spirit". They are the ones in whom the righteousness of the law is being fulfilled.

We must not impose upon this passage a distinction between the "spiritual" Christian and the "carnal" Christian. While such a distinction is made in other places in Scripture, here the emphasis is upon something that is essentially true of each true Christian. He is a man "in the Spirit". If he is not a man "in the Spirit", then he is not a Christian at all. Recognizing who we are in Christ helps us in becoming what we ought to be. Who is this man "in the Spirit"?

THE MAN IN THE SPIRIT MINDS THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT
This is the first point of contrast between the man in the flesh and the man in the Spirit. "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." In the prior verse we have a man "walking'' in the flesh or the Spirit. In this verse we have a man being in the state of being either "after the flesh or after the Spirit". The idea basically is a person being in the state of being under the control of one or the other. To walk after the Spirit is to walk under the control of the Holy Spirit.

To mind the things of the Spirit is to be in the habit of thinking, of putting the mind on, of having interest in the things of the Spirit. Those who are under the control of their old sinful nature are always thinking about, expressing interest in the things that belong to the old sinful nature. Basically these would be things that are selfish, sensual, and earthly. But those who are walking under the control of the Spirit, who are in the condition of being under the control of the Spirit are thinking about, expressing interest in, setting their minds on, the things which the Holy Spirit suggests. They will surely be things of love, heaven, Christ, the Bible, yea, the things of eternity.

This is an important thing! An unsaved man may have a religious interest, but he will not have any interest in the things which the Holy Spirit suggests. They will not make sense to him. While he may come to appreciate the Bible as great literature, he will never sense the power and message of the Bible in his life. The Bible is a book that is spiritually understood. While he may be an admirer of Jesus Christ after a sense, he will not know the experience made possible only by the Holy Spirit. While they may not always allow it to express itself as fully as they ought, each Christian does have an inner inclination toward the things of the Spirit. They "know" the things of God. Though there is growth in this knowledge, yet they do have knowledge of God; a real and spiritual knowledge in that it is from the Holy Spirit. This is true of the man in the Spirit.

THE MAN IN THE SPIRIT HAS LIFE AND PEACE
The contrast of the two men continues. "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." A more literal translation is "For the mind of the flesh is death but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace". It is pointing us to the ultimate issue of the two conditions. Death is the logical issue of the life dominated by the old sinful nature. Man apart from God finally comes to spiritual and eternal death. The Apostle proceeds to explain why such an end is inevitable. "Because the carnal mind the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be". So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. The very nature of the flesh is such that it is enmity against God. Its basic unchanging attitude is that of opposition to the Person and Purpose of God. The attitude of the flesh toward the law o' God is cited as evidence of this. It is not subject to the law of God. It refuses to come under the authority of the law of God and to render obedience to the law of God. The tense of this word would point to this as being the continuous practice of the flesh. Because of this, those in the flesh cannot please God. It is out of the question. To be in the flesh is the same thing as going "after the flesh", though it is a little stronger expression. For this reason, the flesh way leads only to death.

However those who are of the mind of the Spirit have life. The life is just the opposite of death. They have life because they have a right relationship with God who is the source of all life. This life that they have is the very life God Himself provides, eternal life. It is life that abides throughout all of the ages. It is life suited for the eternal realm. In addition to the life, they have peace. This peace again points to the right relationship with God. They are at peace with God through the redeeming death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes it possible for them to know an inner peace of conscience.

This is just the opposite of what the world supposes to be true. They have concluded that the man who follows the flesh, the man who makes it his purpose to satisfy the desires of the flesh, who lives for this world, this is the man who has life and peace. God declares that what he finds is death. They also wrongly suppose that those who allow God to become the center of their lives, and who follow the mind of the Spirit find only death and trouble. But they are the ones who know fullness of life and blessed peace.

Again we must be reminded that the man with the mind of the Spirit is the saved man, the man in Christ Jesus. This is who you are if you are trusting Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

THE MAN IN THE SPIRIT IS THE HOME OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
This brings us to the basic affirmation of this passage. The ultimate proof that you are a man in the Spirit is now given. "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." The "ye" is emphatic. He is here stating an undeniable truth about the man in Christ. He is not "in flesh". In order to call attention to the quality of flesh as being sinful and flesh, no article is used in the original text. The same is true of "Spirit". So it could read, "You are not in flesh, but in Spirit." This means that the very life of the Christian is in the sphere of the Holy Spirit of God rather than in the sphere of the flesh. The "Spirit of God" and the Spirit of Christ are both references to the Holy Spirit. "If so be" is a strong word that means, "if as is the fact". It is an assertion that the thing being stated is a fact. What is the fact? If as is the fact: the Spirit of God dwells in you. "Dwells" is a word that means to abide, to dwell at home. It means that the Holy Spirit has residence in you. The heart of the believer in Jesus Christ is the living room of the Spirit, or more exactly, the Holy of Holies in which the Holy Spirit dwells.

In the Old Testament temple, the most sacred spot was the little cubical called the Holy of Holies. In this little room God's presence was made manifest. No one dared enter this room except the High Priest on the appointed day. In the New Testament order the body of the Christian is the Holy Temple of God. The heart of the Christian is the holy of holies in this temple. The Holy Spirit is dwelling in the holy of holies in the Christian's heart. Indeed, this indwelling of the Holy Spirit is one of the vital proofs that we actually belong to Him. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." This means that his body is still a temple to the flesh, that the only presence known in the life is that of sin and evil 

When the Apostle Paul came to Ephesus, he was met by a group of professing Christians. Paul soon sensed that something was wrong with them, so he asked, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" Their answer was revealing. They acknowledged that they knew nothing about the Holy Spirit. Instead of admonishing them to seek some kind of deeper experience with God, the Apostle proceeded to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He knew that those who have exercised saving faith in the Lord Jesus have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you meet a professing Christian who does not have the Holy Spirit living in his heart, you have met a lost professing Christian. His presence within is vital proof of the reality of one's position in Christ. Every true Christian is a man in the Spirit.
O how important it is that those in the Spirit experience the joy and freedom of living in the Spirit!