Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
The Simctification of Believers. ROMANS Viri. WImI Ila'cm cometh of the Flah, Ke took o\ir nature as it is in us, compassed with infirm- .
'if the Jhily Ghost dwell in you' (see 1 Corinthians 6. II, 19; itiet, with uotliing todistinguisli Him as man from sinful men, save that He was witliout sin. Nor does tliis mean
3. 16, itc). (It tlius appears that to be "in the spirit" means here to be under tlie dominion of our oum renewed mind; because the indwelling of God's Hpirit is given a.s the evidence that we are "in the spirit.") Now ('But') tiiat III! took our nature with all its properties save one; for sin is no properly of humaiiily at all, hut only the disordered slate of our souls, as the fallen family of Adam, a disorder afl'ecting, indeed, and oversjn-eading our entire nature, but still purely oj«jown. and for sin—Zi7., 'and about sin ;' q. d., ' on the business of sin.' The expression if any man !»ave not tlie Spirit of Christ—Again, this does not mean 'the disposition or mind of Christ,' l)ut the Holy Gliost ; here called " the Spirit of Christ," just as He is (^lled "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (see on v. 2).
It is as "the Spirit of Christ" that the Holy Ghost takes possession of believers, introducing into them all the gracious, dove-like disposilion which dwelt in Him (Matthew 16; John 3. 31). Now if any man'.s heart be void, not of such dispo.sitioiis, but of the blessed Author of them, "the Spirit of Christ is purposely a general one, because the design was not to speak of Christ's mission to alone for sin, bul in virtue of tliat atonement to destroy its dominion and cxlirpnle it alloyctlicr from believers. \\'e think it wron;;. tiierefore, to render the words (as in Jl/«)Y/i>4j ' by a sacnfii'e for sin' (suggested hy the language of the LXX.,and aiiproved by Calvin, &c.); for this sense is too definite, and makes the Idea of expiation more prominent than it is. coiiclenmed sin— '—he is none of liis—even though int(dlectually convinced of the truth of Christianity, and in a general sense influenced by its spirit. Sharp, solemn statement this ! 10, 11. And if Christ be in you—by His indwelling Spirit in virtue of which we have one life with him. the body—'the body indeed.'
' condemned it to lose its power over men.' [Bez A, BenGKL, FUASEK, Meyek, Tholuck, Philippi, Alfokd.] In this glorious sense our Lord says of His approaching death (John 12. 31), "Now is the judgment of this world; now is dead because of (' by reason of) sin ; but the spiiiS Is life because (or, ' by reason') of ri Iiteousness—The word 'indeed,' which tae original requires, is of the nature of a concession q. d., ' I grant you that the body is dead, &c., and so far redemption is incomplete, 6i//,' <fcc. ; q. d., 'If Christ be in you by His indwelling Spiri/, tliough your "bodies" have to pass through the stage of "death" in consequence of the first Adam's "sin," your spirit is instinct with new and undying "life," brought in by the " righteousness" of the second Adam.' [Tholxtck, Meyer, and Alfokd in part, but only HoDOE entirely.] But s'aall the prince of this world be cast out;" and again (see on John 16. 11), " When He (the Spirit) shall come, He shall convince the world of . . . judgment, because the prince of tins world is judged," i. e., condemned to let go his hold of men, who, through the cross, shall be emancipated into the liberty and power to be holy, in tlie flesU— /. e., in human nature, hencefortli set free from the grasp of sin. Tliat tUe rigliteousness of the law—'the righteous demand' [Revised Vep.sion], ' the requirement' [Ai.foud], or ' the precept' of the law ; for it is not precisely the word so often used in this Epistle to denote ' the righteousness which justifies' (ch. 1. 17; 3. 21; 4. 5, 6; 5. 17, 18, '21), but another form of the same word, intended to express the enactment of the law, meaning Iiere, we believe, tlie prac- (' And') if the Spirit of lnim that raised up Jesus from tiie dead dwell in yon i.e., 'If He dwell in yon as the Spirit of the Clirist-r.aising One,' or, 'in all the resin-rection-pou'cr which He put forth in r;\ising Jesus.' hettiat raised tip Cliirist from tlie dead—Observe the change of natne from Jksus, as the historical Individual whom God raised from the dead, to Christ, the same Individual, considered as the Lord and Head of all His members, or of redeemed Humanity. [Alford.] shall also quielcen (rather, 'shall quicken even') your mortal bodies by ^llie true reading appears to be ' by reason of) his Spirit that dwelletli in you q. d., 'Your bodies indeed are not exempt frym the death which sin brought in; but your spirits even now have in them an undying life, and if the tical obedience which the law calls for. mijjUt be fiilfilletl in us—or, as we say, 'realized in us.' wlio walk— the most ancient expression of the bent of one's life, whether in the direction of good or of evil (Genesis IS. 1.5; I\salm 1. 1; Isaialr 2. 5; Micah 4. 5; Ephesians 4. 17; 1 John
1. (i, 7). not after (j. e., according to the dictates of) tJie ticsU, but nfter the spirit—From v. i) it would seem that what is more immediately intended by "the spirit" here is iiiir own mind as renewed and actuated by tlie Holy Ghost. 5. For they that are after the flesh (i. e., under the influence of tlie lleshly principle) do mind (give their attention to, Philippians 3. li),) tlte things of tlic flesh, &c.—Men fmist be under the predominating intluence of one or other of these two principles, and, accoj ding as the one or tile other has the marstery, will be the eomjilexion of their life, the character of their actions. G. For— Sjiirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, even these bodies of yours, though they yield to the last enemy and the dust of them return to the dust as It was, shall yet experience tlie same resurrection as that of their living Head, in virtue of the indwelling of the same
in you that quickened Him.' I'S, 13. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after mere particle of transition here [THOLtrcK], like 'but' or ' now.' to be earnallyirilnded li/., ' the mind' or ' minding of the flesh' [Murnin), i. e., the pursuit of fleshly eiuls. tlie flesh—7. d., ' Ouce we were .sold under sin (ch. 7. 14); but now that we have been set free from that liard master and liecome servants to Righteousness (ch. 6. '22), we owe nothing to the flesh, we disown its unrighteous claims and are ileaf to its imperious demands.' Glorious sentiment! For if ye live after the flesli, ye shall die (in the sense of cli. (1. 21); but if ye throu$;h the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body (see on ch. 7. 23), ye sliall live is dentil—not only 'ends in' [Alford, &c.J, but even now 'is;' carrying deatli into its bosom, so thatsuch are"dead wliile they live" (1 Timothy .5. fi; Ephesians 2. 1, !>). (Pkil-
IPJ'I.] tout to toe spiritually minded—'the mind' or 'minding of tlie spiiit;' i. e., the pursuit of spiritual objects, is life ami peace-not "life" only, in contrast with the "death" that is in the other pursuit, but "peace;" It is the very element of the soul'.-, deepest repose and true bliss. 7. Because the earnal inind is enmity agninat God—The desire and pursuit of carnal ends is a state of enmity to God, wholly Incompatible with true and peace in the soul, for it is not siibjeet (in the sense of ch. 6. 22)—The apostle is not satisfied with assuring them that they are umler no obligalions to the tUsh, lo hearken to its suggestions, without reminding them where it will end if they do; and he uses the word " mortify" (put to death) as a kind of play upon the word "die" just before q. d., ' If j/c do not kill sin, j< will kill you.' Hilt he tempers this by tlie liriglit alternative, that ('dotli not submit ilseU '} to tlie law of Owl, neitllier indeed can he ('can il')—i.e.. In such a stale of mhul there neillier Is nor can be the least subjection to tlie law of God. Man.v things may be done which the law re(iulres, but nothing either is or can be ilone because God's law re(juires it, or purely to plea.se God. 8. K<> tlien— n<-arly equivalent to ' Atiil so.' they that are in (anil, I lier<'fore, if they do, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, sucli a course will infallil)l.v terminate in "life" everlasting. And this leads the apostle into a new line of tliouglit, opening into his final subject, the "glory" awaiting the justi Ued believer. A'o/e (1.) 'There can bo no salVUy, no holiness, no happiness, to those who are out of Christ: safety, because all such .are under tliocondemnalion of tlie law (o. 1); uu holiness, because such only as are united to Christ liave the Spirit of Christ W. 9); no Inijipiness, hci';\u>ifi to be "carnally minded Is death" (». iimli-r the government of) t!>e flesli cnnitot please 4««d— Having no obedientiid i)rliielpie, noilesire to please Him. 0. ISiit ye are not in tite tlesh, but In the Kpirit, if so be Hint the SpirK of tiod ilwell in you—This does not iii^);in, 'if tlie disposilion or mind of Goil dwell .n 3 uu ; out 2i0
0).' L'li'oaK.J (2.) The sancliflcatiou of believers, ae U