Into the Heart of Romans
A Deep Dive into Paul’s Greatest Letter
The Spirit Gives Life (2|3)
Pages 69-76
1 Corinthians 15:50 (NIV) I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Galatians 5:16-26 (NIV) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking, and envying each other.
Paul contrasts “the works of the flesh” and “the fruit of the Spirit” in ways that go far beyond physical sins versus spiritual virtues. How does recognizing that both sets of behaviors involve the whole person (body, mind, and relationships) affect the way you understand what it means to live by the Spirit rather than by the flesh? Which “fruit of the Spirit” do you find yourself expressing most naturally in your daily, embodied life, and which ones might the Spirit be inviting you to cultivate more intentionally?
Paul teaches that life “in the flesh” begins in the mind, where our attention settles on rivalry, envy, scandal, and desire, while life “in the Spirit” requires intentionally directing our thoughts toward kindness, generosity, and God’s way of being human. What practical habits help you redirect your attention from the noise of the “works of the flesh” toward the “things of the Spirit” in your everyday life?
Paul describes phronēma (our mindset) as a deeply formed habit that must be retrained by repeated, Spirit-led choices toward love, peace, and gentleness rather than envy or malice. What practices or rhythms help you cultivate phronēma (mindset) shaped by the Spirit, especially when the next moral challenge can feel even steeper than the last?
Paul’s audience would understand Temple-shaped theology, reshaped around the crucified and risen Messiah. Have you ever encountered a biblical theme or image (like the Temple) that unlocked a deeper understanding of Scripture? Did it change the way you read the Bible or live out your faith?
Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives (DWELLS) in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. Paul uses Temple and Tabernacle language to say that God’s Spirit now dwells within believers, making them the new place where God’s presence lives and leads His people. What practices or perspectives help you stay aware of God’s INDWELLING presence, and how might that awareness change the way you live and relate to others?