Life Ministries

“A New Way Of The Spirit”

Romans 7:4-6   
Romans 8:1-17
    This subject that I have been writing about was inspired by the verse in Revelation 21:5 “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new…” combined with 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” It is all about a person who is a “new creation” a person who has been given a “new life”; this person follows a new teaching and a new teacher; this person is also under a new covenant with God; This person obeys a “new commandment” given by Jesus Christ; and today’s thought – he does so by following a “new way of the Spirit.”
    This person is known as the “Born Again Christian.” To be “born again” means much more than just salvation in - and through - Christ Jesus. We have many new things available to us to motivate our spiritual growth and our walk with God.
    In verse 6 of this scripture from Romans we read “we have been released from the law so that we may serve in the ‘new way of the Spirit’, and not in the old way of the written code.” That “written code” is found in several places in the Old Testament; It begins with Exodus 20 which is the Ten Commandments of God given to Moses; It is expounded upon with several “rules for holy living” in Leviticus 19; and , in Deuteronomy 6 we are given the importance of this “written code”…“the Law” with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.  God was in effect saying; “If you do this…I will do that!” ”If you don’t do this, I won’t do that!”
    Paul’s message in Romans chapters 5-8 is simply this; “We have been freed from the law; which basically says “to do - is to be.”  In other words, man’s righteousness was based on his conduct or his obedience - That’s what the law taught…You had to DO certain things in order to BE righteous.
    However, Paul goes on to explain in chapter 8 verse 3 of Romans - that the law was “powerless to bring righteousness, because it was weakened by the sinful nature…” What the law did was to make man conscious of sin…but, it was powerless in offering any way to over-come sin and bring righteousness. And that’s the point when Paul says; “what the law was powerless to do, God did by sending his own Son.” What the law couldn’t do, God did!
    When Paul describes those who “live according to the sinful nature” he is not only talking about those who do not know God and follow the flesh and it’s sinful desires, but he is also talking about those who still believe they have to “do to be!”… And, he says that those who are slaves to this “do to be” way of life cannot please God.
    But, he goes on to say, if you are a Christian…a “born again” Christian, “You are not controlled by the sinful nature…because the Spirit of God lives IN you…“and, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Not my words, but his.)
    Paul then goes on to say that we can know if we are truly Christians, if we are children of God, if we belong to Christ, because the “Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that it is so.” That simply tells me that if you are a child of God, you know it! You don’t have to wonder if you are…and, if you wonder if you are, then you are probably not! That’s the assurance that the Holy Spirit gives us.
    So then, what is this “new way of the Spirit”?  Paul describes what it consists of in several other places. For example; 1 Corinthians 2:12 - “We have not received the spirit of the world but, the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” So, to live by the new way of the Spirit means that we – discern, understand, and express spiritual truths that we formerly could not understand.
    Of course, we have Galations 5, which tells us that the new way of the Spirit is to be “led by the Spirit” and to HAVE and MANIFEST the “fruit” of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
    Jesus himself explained to his disciples what this new way of the Spirit would be like in John 14:26 where he said; “But, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things…He will guide you into all truth.”
    This new way of the Spirit by which we are to live as Christians is not a “do to be” life….it is a “Believe to Be” life! Listen - “But now, a righteousness from God - apart from the law - has been revealed to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe!”  We must “believe to be!”
    However, we need to take this a step further, because Paul goes on to ask the question; “Do we nullify the law by this faith? Not at all. Rather we uphold the law.”  Let me take you back to our message from last time on the “New Covenant”… God said; “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts”…This is the new way of the Spirit, the law is written upon our hearts and in our minds, and we live accordingly. The difference is that we know that we don’t have to do to be…because our righteousness comes through Christ alone, but, we must believe to be!
    Maybe one of the reasons we have a hard time accepting the simplicity of the Gospel is that we live in a society that tells us - from a very young age - that we have to “Be” something or someone in order to get anything out of life. You are valuable only if; you are pretty; rich; thin; or have a Dr. P.H.D or L.M.N.O.P after your name. You are valuable if you can slam-dunk a basketball or hit a home run. Our value is placed upon our performance…To do is to be!
But, where does this value system leave people who don’t measure up?
    In Romans chapters 5-8, Paul declares our freedom from this “do to be” value system! … The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4^th. 1776… But, the Christian Declaration of Independence was signed, sealed, and delivered on the Cross of Calvary over 2000 years ago!  Christ died that we might live a new life, and that life must be lived in the new way of the Spirit!  
“Believe to Be” is a “Whosoever” faith and everyone is valuable!