Romans 8 is one of the most loved chapters in the Bible. Here we read that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). And that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). These are words that have comforted the hearts of God’s people for centuries.
This chapter also has one of the most challenging verses in the Bible: “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13).
I like this verse because it answers the question: What is a Christian?
When answering this question, we tend to focus on our profession of faith by saying things like “A Christian is a person who has received Jesus as his/her Savior and Lord” or “A Christian is a person who believes in Jesus Christ.” Other plausible responses include, “A Christian is a person who knows the Lord” or “A Christian is a person who has repented of his/her sins and received forgiveness of sins.”
These are all valid ways to answer the question. All contain truth.
The purpose of this article is to answer the question according to Romans 8:13 – especially the last half of the verse: “but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeed of the body, you will live.” Paul says that a Christian is a person who continuously puts to death the misdeeds of his/her body.
There are three key phrases here.
#1. The misdeeds of the body.
This is a clear reference to our sin. Paul is saying that if we put to death our sinful behavior, you will live forever with Jesus. And by implication, if you don’t, you won’t.
#2. Put to death.
This means to kill, to get rid of, to bury and destroy. We are in a fight to the death against our sin, and God commands us to kill our sin, to take no prisoners in this battle.
In other words, a Christian must be a violent person, and Christianity is a violent religion. We are told here to kill. And what are we instructed to kill? People? No. Of course not. We are commanded to kill our sin.
So, if I profess to be a Christian, a person who believes in Jesus as my Savior, I must answer the question, “What sin am I killing today?” What evil behaviors am I going to put to death today and tomorrow and every day for the rest of my life?
Do you claim to be a Christian? Then welcome to the war; welcome to the never-ending battle against your sinful thoughts, words and deeds.
#3. By the Spirit.
This is the best part of the verse because is answers the “How” question. If you are going to kill your sin, how are you going to pull that off?
How do we overcome our addictions to alcohol, drugs, pornography, or chocolate? How do we overcome having sex outside of marriage? How do I stop overeating or wasting hours in front of a screen?
Or how do I overcome my tendency to become angry, bitter, and resentful? How do I stop criticizing people unnecessarily, unfairly and unrighteously? How do I kill my habit of wallowing in self-pity when I receive a boatload of blessings from above every day?
How do we kill our sin? By our own strength, our own power, our own abilities, talents, and mental acumen? Am I not smart enough to figure this out, and determined enough to make it happen? If it is to be, isn’t it up to me?
I think not. Not according to Paul.
If by the Spirit you kill your sin, you will live.
Overcoming sinful habits requires divine power rather than human ingenuity. We need to cry out to God for the wisdom and strength to kill our sin. Christianity is not about self-help. God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who depend on Him to provide the resources we need to fight the good fight of the faith.
I am compelled now to ask more questions. What does Paul mean when he says to kill my sin “by the Spirit”? What does that look like? And what am I supposed to do to access the power of the Spirit? I understand that I can only kill my sin “by the Spirit.” At the same time, I am commanded to do the killing, for Paul says that “you put to death the misdeeds of the body.”
The answer to these questions is found just a few verses earlier in Romans 8:5: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
People who live in accordance with the Spirit do something with their minds. They set their minds on what the Spirit desires. And how do we do that? What resource has God provided that reveals the desires of His Spirt? Obviously, the Word of God.
To set my mind on what God desires for me, I must spend time in the Word of God — reading it, studying it, meditating on it, understanding it, all with the goal of believing and obeying it, for to believe and obey the Bible is to believe and obey God.
This is straightforward advice from the Apostle Paul. God enables me to kill my sin when I fill my mind with His truth and believe the promises found there regarding the provision of His power to overcome any sin.
Romans 8:13 and Romans 8:5 dovetail perfectly with Ephesians 6:17. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” When Paul describes the Christian’s armor that must be used when fighting against the world, the flesh and the devil, what is our one offensive weapon? The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
How do we kill our sin? By the Spirit. More specifically, by the sword of the Spirit. We put our sin to death with the Word of God. It is God’s sharp, double-edged sword that not only penetrates our hearts to reveal the sin we are often too blind to see (per Hebrews 4:12), but it is also the divinely appointed resource that we wield to defeat and destroy the enemy within.
If you are a Christian, you are in a war against your sin. God has already provided the means by which you can win this battle and overcome your sin. By the sword of the Spirit, the written Word of God, you can go forth into the fray with confidence, knowing that through that same Spirit, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Living Word, goes before you. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Keep your eyes on Him, remembering that “out of His mouth came a sharp double-edged sword,” for “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God” (Revelation 1:16, 19:13).
John Owen got it right. “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
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Wayne, thank you so much for taking time to write this fantastic article to help the Body of Christ. It is very straight forward and goes to the heart of the matter where Christians live everyday. If we follow the Spirit we will be able to realize here and now the abundant life Christ came to provide (John 10:10).
God bless you brother as you continue to do His will.