Saturday, April 21, 2018

Romans 8:11 Healing



“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Verse 11 is a power verse. The Spirit of God the Spirit of power will give life to us.

We have established that the Spirit lives in us. Especially if we are awake in the spirit and have put our minds on the things of the Spirit and removed the things of the flesh from our mind.

Remember that we don't remove things from our mind by saying I won't think or do bad things. We put away the things of the flesh by instead putting our minds on the things of the Spirit and then doing them.

The work that the Spirit does in our spirit, will also be done in our body. Do we believe that? Like all promises, they are effective when we believe. John 11:40 “ … Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

This belief is not done by keeping rules. 2 Cor 3:6 the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. We have the life giving Spirit within us. The letter speaks of rules. We don't live by rules, but by God's Spirit, as it moves us by the word of faith and love. Romans 10:8

Instead of rules we yield our minds to the life giving Spirit. John 5:21 The Son gives life to whom He wishes. John 5:24 When we hear and believe the words of the Son we have this life. The sower parable teaches us to hear God's words and do them.  Mark 4:3-20; Luke 8:4-15; Matthew 13:3-23  Our work is to believe God's words. John 6:29 To believe is not saying we understand the Scriptures. It is a mindset of relying on them. I rely on my car to get me to work.  In the same way I rely on God to guide me and show me the path of life. Life flows from belief. Why work for belief? There are many voices vying for our attention. Shut out the voices that speak against God's directions. And listen to what God is saying. Listen to the Holy Spirit within.

We listen to God when we read the Bible with expectation of Him speaking to us. John 6:63 The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. God's words bring life. And we have the teacher of God's words living within us. The Holly Spirit brings life as we act on His leading. Romans 8:14

Romans 4:17 Believe and call into existence, what God has promised. We don't look at death within, but we look at the promise that the Holy Spirit brings to us. When we believe God we can speak with power and call into being what God has ordered.

As I have been meditating on this verse, giving life to your body means your body has to be dead first. I always thought of my fleshly body as being under a curse and the Spirit brings health to us. And this is true. The promise of health is there. But also we need to die to ourselves that life from God may grow within. The dying to our wants is needed if we are to be free to live for the purpose we were made for. Galatians 2:20

Giving life to our mortal bodies speaks to our ability to do what we were called to do. Ephesians 2:10 We can believe God to do what we have been called to do. We can believe God for healing so we can do the work God has called us to.

Now what is this life? Is it spiritual life or physical health? It is both. Just as we are saved and healed at the cross we walk in salvation and healing today. We are not saved to go to heaven only. We are saved for a new life to be lived for Jesus.

How are we to walk today? By the word of God. It is the Word Of Life. Romans 10:8 word of faith. Confession comes with faith Romans 10:8-10 If the word is in our mouth  and in our heart it is active. If it is not in our mouth and in our heart it is not active and just produces arrogance. Arrogance comes from knowledge without action in love. 1 Corinthians 8:1 For if we know but have not the experience of action we don't realize our need of the Spirit to walk it out. With the knowledge of our need we remain humble. So action keeps us humble, and this humbleness brings more grace. James 4:6 Grace gives us the ability to do what we are called for. It starts with obedience to God's word.

Now there can be action without faith. How do we know the difference?  Is there peace? Is there a motive of love? Is there joy? Fear will destroy faith. Perfect love casts out fear for there is no fear in love. Fear deflates faith. How do we handle a doubt or fear? 1 John 4:18 It is by quoting the word of God and deciding to live by the word and not by our fears. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 So faith is moving in peace in love and casting out the thought of fear.

Romans 8:11 can also talk about the promise of resurrection. We have the hope of resurrection from the Scriptures. Scriptures on resurrection – Phil 3:21; 1 Thes 4:14; 1 Cor 6:14; 15:20-23; 2 Cor 4:14 Notice it is the mortal body that is being brought to life. In our resurrection the mortal is replace with the immortal. “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:53 People that say this verse does not refer to physical healing never bring this point up  of mortal putting on the immortality. The resurrection brings the immortality. Healing beings the mortal to life to function. So the Spirit within us will bring healing to our physical bodies as we believe.

Where is the contrast of Romans 8:11 “But if”?

Our responding to God in righteousness allows God's Spirit to live and be active within us.  When the Spirit is within, He will give life to all three parts of our being when we respond in faith.  Verse 10 talks of life to our spirit. Verse 11 speaks of life to our mortal bodies. Our salvation has provided for a spiritual salvation, John 3:16 a change of our soul, Romans 12:1,2 and the promise of physical healing Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24.

The chapter talks of all three parts of our being. Our soul, our spirit and our body. We are reborn at salvation making all things new. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Isaiah 43:18-19; Revelation 21:5

We are anointed by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a pledge at Salvation
Ephesians 1:13, and from the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This passage is a prophecy of the Christ. (in Hebrew the Christ is the Messiah).

The Holy Spirit within illuminates the Scriptures, making them highlighted in our spirits. As we have this light of God within us, the darkness that comes against us will be destroyed. It is belief in the light that will chase the darkness away. Darkness is the absence of light. When God's light shines within darkness is gone. The works of Satan are darkness. John 3:20 The works of God are light and Satan can't stand the light.  When we have God's light Satan can't touch us. 1 John 5:18; Psalm 91:10 Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil. Acts 10:38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

We are sent as Jesus was sent. So the ability that Jesus had, we have now in the present.  John 20:21 We can pray for people to be healed. Mark 11:24 We can command the sickness to leave. Mark 11:23 And we can live in the blessing and sickness won't touch us. Psalm 91:10; 1 John 5:18


AREAS TO CONSIDER IN HEALING.
Healing is promised in the atonement. Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 8:17; 1 Pt 2:24
Healing is for all today. 2 Corinthians 1:20;  Exodus 15:26; Psalm 103:3
Faith is required. Mark 11:22; Hebrews 11:1
Authority in Jesus name. We live in God's kingdom. We have the right of inheritance. We are God's sons. Mark 16:17-18
Agreement and unity in prayer. Matthew 18:19
God's word living in you. John 6:63; John 15:7; John 8:31-32
Misunderstandings of Scripture. Hosea 4:6; John 8;31-32; James 1:22
Sowing with your words. Proverbs 18:20-21
Healing in communion. 1 Corinthians 11:27-30
Spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Free from the curse of the law. Deuteronomy 28; Galatians 3:13
How to deal with worry, fear and doubt. Philippians 4:6-9
Understanding Paul's thorn. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Numbers 33:55
Suffering for righteousness does not include sickness, or if it did we should not go to the doctor for help in getting out of what we thought God had put on us. 2 Timothy 3:12
Conquerors and over comers Romans 8:37; Revelation 12:11
Growing in faith. Isaiah 41:15; Romans 1:17
Growing in God's grace. 2 Peter 3:18
Living in God's glory.  Colossians 1:27
God's light defeats darkness. John 1:5


Monday, April 9, 2018

Romans 8:10 When Christ Is In Us We Have Life




Romans 8:10 
“If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

If Christ is in you refers to salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:17;  1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 If we are saved, we have Christ.

v 10 the spirit is alive because of righteousness. What is righteousness? Habakkuk 2:4 says the just or righteousness will live by faith. Righteousness is living by faith. Paul said that he was seeking the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Phil 3 This is in contrast with self righteous. Which is based on our good works. OUR SPIRIT IS ALIVE BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. OUR SPIRIT IS ALIVE BECAUSE OF FAITH. We live by faith. Faith is possible when we die to ourselves. Gal 2:20 we live by faith and we die to our self. This is to be done daily, Luke 9:23

Romans 4 teaches righteous by faith.

Amplified says righteousness that God imputes to us. V10 We live by pointing back to what Jesus did for us at the cross. It is a past work. It is not a work we need to be doing now. Our confidence is not in ourselves but in what has already been done for us. Faith is in the word of God and we act on it. If we don't act on it there really is no faith for faith with out works is dead.

The Spirit is alive within us because of belief, faith and action in what God is saying to us. We turn from having our minds set on worldly things and put our mind on heavenly things. Life then starts to flow. When we again put our mind on the things of the flesh life spiritual life stops. Our body is dead because of the curse and our sin. But it we trust in the Spirit of God there can be life for our body as well as our soul by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.

It is not our righteousness that causes the Spirit to be alive in us. For it says in Phil 3:9 “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.”

Our righteousness comes from God, not from our works that would have been considered as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 We rest in God because of His free gift of grace. Our righteousness is a gift. We can accept this gift of faith and rest in the knowledge of God's goodness to us.

In verse 32 again it says God will freely give us all things along with Jesus. This righteousness is freely given to us. We don't earn it. 2 Cor 1:20 In Jesus are all the promises. We have this righteousness in Jesus. Set your mind on Jesus. And the Spirit is freed to be active in us.

As we set our mind on God we realize what we have. We have this righteousness in Christ 1 Corinthians 1:30. 1 Corinthians 1:31 So let us boast in the Lord.

It is the Spirit of God that gives us life. It is the Spirit that will bring life to our body. Not our works. Not our good deeds. But our faith! Let us be people of this faith.

Receiving from God's promises is not because our works. It is because of our righteousness. Our righteousness is a result of our faith in God. God's work is complete and we rest in this complete work.

We are in right relationship with God not because of our good works but our faith in God's work. We receive the promises not by our works but by God's work. We receive by resting. “Then where is prayer in this? It is to move from worry to rest. Many times the Scriptures say to not fear. The way to move from fear to rest is to pray the Phil 4:6-9 example. This shows you how to get into rest.

In verse 10 it says the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Then in verse 11 it says our body can also receive life by the Holy Spirit that lives in us. There is a growth taught here. First we can have life in our spirits. Second we can have life in our bodies. Why is this important to grow to have life in our bodies? It is by our bodies that we are able to serve God. If we remain sick we are a drain on others and not able to minister as we have been called to do.

Verse 11 is one of the great healing verses of the Bible. By the Spirit we can have this healing. And how does that happen? The verses before show that we put our mind on the things of the Spirit. And for healing that would be the promises of the Bible. We meditate, pray over, state to our mountain that God will bring the finishing touches and have victory in healing. Zechariah 4:7 with shouts of grace. And grace is God's ability that comes to us through the Bible. So shout God's ability to the mountain that is stopping us.

Healing can be a higher level of faith. First we can live for God but be attacked in our body. As our faith grows we can also gain health by the Spirit of God that is living in us. There are many reasons for sickness. A love for others will not judge others but instead shine the light of God to encourage them to reach higher.  And why healing? To minister for Christ.

Go to next verse.

Return to index.

Friday, April 6, 2018

Romans 8:9 If we Belong to Jesus we have the Holy Spirit


Rocky Mountain Juniper

 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

Verses 5-8 talk of the difference of being in the flesh and the Spirit. It is  a mindset. At salvation we get the seal of the spirit. Ephesians 1:13.  A mind set on the flesh will pursue the things that would gratify fleshly desires.  With the Spirit we have other purposes.

Does the Holy Spirit dwell in us? We receive the Spirit at salvation as a seal. The Spirit came when Jesus was caught up to heaven. In Acts 2:4 the baptism of the Holy Spirit came to the believers. This was a second experience. But this second  experience is not what Rom. 8:9 is talking about. All Christians have the Holy Spirit. Not all have the baptism of the Spirit, but He is available to all, as they believe.

Does sin cause the Holy Spirit to leave? Jesus said He would be with us always. Matthew 28:20 In another place He said that He would never leave us or forsake us.  Hebrews 13:5 We are born again as a new creation at salvation. To lose the Holy Spirit is to lose our salvation.  So yes we have the Holy Spirit.

So what happens when we are walking in the flesh for a time? In verses 5-8 it talks of death as separation from God because of our inattention. It is like being asleep in the spirit. We have the Holy Spirit but are not aware of Him because of our spiritual sleep walking. When we wake up and return to walking with the Spirit, we can make use of Him who dwells within.

The idea of sleeping is brought out in a couple of places. Ephesians 5:14 “... Awake sleeper and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.” When we are asleep we are just flowing with the ways of the world. We may not actively be involved in the works of the devil.  Nevertheless, we are carried down stream by our lack of opposition to the evil in the world. And by opposition I am talking of standing in faith for the light of God to be brought to people in darkness.

In Revelation 3:2 “Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.” When we are asleep our spiritual strength saps away. It is just like in the physical. If you don't exercise you loose your edge. If we don't drink water we become weak. If we don't read the Bible our spirit weakens and falls asleep. Wake up and strengthen what God has given you. Wake up and let the light of the word of God bring life to your body. When we are awake we will speak God's word in faith.

Our union with God is flowing and operating when we keep God's words. When we don't keep them, we quench the Spirit and cease to live in eternal principals. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 It is easy to open the flow. Just repent and start living in God's word.

Where it says if we don't have the spirit of Christ. It is referring to the fact that our inattention to spiritual things quenches the Spirit of God working in our life. He is still there but can't operate by our lack of attention. Or direct repression of the things of the Spirit when we indulge the flesh.

Romans 8 is showing contrasts throughout the chapter. Before in verses five through eight there is a contrast between the flesh and the spirit. Here I think the passage is refering to the difference between a person that has accepted Christ and one who doesn't. We are saved and we have the Spirit of God living within. If we weren't saved we wouldn't have God's Spirit within. We have the Spirit within already, so live accordingly.

To walk in the Spirit is to keep the words of Jesus as we live. Or to say it another way, to keep the words of Jesus in mind as we live. To wake up, requires just a simple word of repentance to God and then step into our place of abiding. We are free from condemnation and can be about Christ's business as we live by faith not works.

Lord, I thank you for Your Spirit that lives within me. Give me the words of life for each day to live for you. Thanks Jesus.

Return to Index

Go to next verse.