Marginal Inclusion
“who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” Romans 8:4
Who – Remember the marginal note from yesterday? In verse 1 of chapter 8, some versions include this thought while others leave it out. But just because it is relegated to the margin in verse 1 does not mean it has no place in Scripture. Here in verse 4, the same phrase is clearly part of the oldest texts. Paul had something important to say about the relationship between freedom and behavior, even if he might not have said it in the first verse.
The literal phrase does not really have the word “who” in it. It actually says, “the (ones) not according to the flesh walking”. We rearrange the words to give us a proper English sentence. There is an important insight here, buried in “deep grammar”. English is a language that views the world from the perspective of nouns. The emphasis of the grammar is on the actor, the subject. But not all languages see the world this way. Some languages (and cultures) see the world in terms of the action, not the actor. The emphasis is on the “doing”. When we place “who” in this sentence, we subtly shift the thought from the doing (walking) to the doer (those who). Is that what Paul really meant? Was he putting the emphasis on the actors who walk according to, or was he highlighting the activity of walking? Is your faith about you, the actor, or is it about the actions that involve you?
Paul connects freedom from condemnation with expression of life in Christ. This qualification is very important in Paul’s thought. In fact, the phrase “in Christ” has special significance in all of Paul’s letters. It covers a wide range of actions. One of them is the idea that the believer dwells in union with Christ and it is on that basis that judgment not longer applies to the believer. When Christ resides within me, my will, intellect and emotions are subject to His transforming agency. The result is inevitable: I am remade into His image. My actions change. Claims of union with Him that are not manifest in transformation like Him are suspect. So, Paul is pointing out that this radical freedom, a freedom that removes any possibility of penalty under the law, occurs within the context of life surrendered to a new Ruler, a Ruler who governs by grace.
Does this mean that walking according to the Spirit is the litmus test of conversion? Yes, but not the sort of litmus test that converts walking by the Spirit into a new rule. This is a description of the natural result of thankful obedience. It is not a formula for spiritual credit. It happens to me as I surrender to His will for me. I don’t become spiritually acceptable by performing spiritual acts. I take on the God-perspective of life as a result of the changes He brings about in me. Actions precede actors.
The relationship between my freedom and my walk is a personal measure of willingness. Wherever I am willing to surrender, God is able to transform. But He engages only with volunteers. If I am one of those walking according to the Spirit, it will be because I have volunteered to follow His leading.
