Substitutes of Consequence

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.  Romans 8:11  NASB Him/ He/ His – Who is the active agent in this verse?  Who is “He, Him, His”…

Plato and Paul

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.  Romans 8:10  NASB Dead/alive – If there were ever a verse that makes Paul look like a student of Plato, this is probably it.  The apparent dualism between body and spirit, dead and alive,…

Shout Out!

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.  Romans 8:9  NASB If indeed – eiper (εἴπερ) is an exclamation point in Greek.  It is used to intensify an expression.  Paul…

Essential Connections

because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  Romans 8:7-8  NASB Hostile/ cannot – You will recall that “the mind set on” is the translator’s attempt…

Symptomatic

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,  Romans 8:6  NASB Life and peace – Returning to Paul’s great exposition of life in the Messiah, we have learned that “the mind set on” is really the single Greek word phrónēma, a word that encompasses…

No Crystal Ball for Us

For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.  Ecclesiastes 9:1 NASB In the hand of God – Michael Fox clarifies Koheleth’s comment: “Literally, ‘in God’s hand.’  This means that…

The Door

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.  Revelation 3:20  NASB Maybe the sign should read: Abandon YHVH All You Who Enter In But at least it’s pretty.

Believe Me

. . . what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, . .  1 John 1:1  NASB Heard/seen/touched – Occasionally it’s good to peek behind the curtain.  What we find helps us realize that all that mysterious and dramatic stuff going on in front of us…

It’s What You Think, Right?

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,  Romans 8:6  NASB Mind – What a useful verse!  It seems to unequivocally support the idea that real spiritual life is cognitive.  I have to think the right things!  It’s my mind that really matters!  Oh, my,…