Romans 8:9 - God's Spirit, Christ's Spirit, Your Spirit, and the Walk (Conciliation Series, Part LIII)

 Part IV: God’s Conciliation, Confirmed

As we continue through this study, I want to re-cap a few things before we continue – especially considering just how perfect and careful the wording of every verse is, and how imperfect I am at replicating it.

A)  You are in spirit now. This is irrespective of act. I will have more to say on this later.

B)  When you are in spirit, you are learning to walk in accord with spirit, which is encapsulated in understanding the disposition of the spirit, in contrast with your previous disposition.

C)  Realizing your justification, and conciliation, are what enables you to be ruling and reigning in Christ (Rom. 5:17.) Your conduct falls on the “conciliation” side. If your conduct is in accord with the flesh, then God is simply showing the world that there is not yet a manifestation of your conciliation.     

D)  Just because you have a disposition of the spirit does not mean you always utilize it, which is:

E)   the difference between immaturity and maturity. If your realization of the Son of God is minimal, then you are not matured in the faith (Eph. 4:12-14.) That said: you are still in the faith. All in Christ have been justified by, in, and for grace, through faith. Everything we are discussing, all the way up here in Romans 8, is still built on the foundation of faith (Rom. 5:1.)

F)   Nothing is condemnation to those in Christ who walk according to spirit (Rom. 8:1.) Paul shows, in 8:5-7, that your disposition is reflecting what you are in accord with. The word “accord” is critical, because it does not say, “your disposition is reflecting what you are in,” but in accord with. You may be in spirit, but you are simply not acting in accord with it.

G)  Finally, this is a temporary state of affairs for those in Christ. It is impermanent. Will not last. This is because of the verse we are going to look at here. The best way to “stop sinning” is by not worrying about it. Dwell on Romans 8:9 instead. When you are focused on Romans 8:9, you can’t really be devising a way to sin, now, can you??

What does Romans 8:9 say? Well, nothing short of awesome, thank you very much! Take a look:

Yet you are not in flesh, but in spirit, if so be that God’s spirit is making its home in you.

Let’s start with “yet.” Yet, in case you didn’t notice, is not “for.” This means that we are dealing with a different conjunction, with a different purpose (I forget whether I’ve covered this already or not. A reminder couldn’t hurt.) The Greek word here is de, and is either adversative or continuative in nature. If it is “adversative,” then it is expressing contrast or opposition in relation to the previous sentence. If it is “continuative,” then it is expressing a joining between the previous sentence and this one. Yes, it can be both. Here, I believe it is adversative, but if you sat down and began intensely telling me that de is continuative in Romans 8:9, I would probably just nod my head and smile at you.

The you of the sentence is emphatic and plural. The emphasis on “you” indicates a confidence that Paul has in his readers. Moreover, this indicates a confidence that God has in His beloved. If you are truly believing the evangel, then every compliment Paul offers each ecclesia, while situational, reflects the complimentary nature that God carries with His beloved (He later calls us His achievement, His sons, Christ’s complement, His temple, and more. We will dwell on them when we see them.)

You are the focus. Of course, in context, this is to the Roman saints, but you can extract the teaching and apply this to yourself, as you are a part of the nations that this evangel refers to (Rom. 1:14-17.) You are not in flesh. You are in spirit. Popular versions will include the article “the” in front of ‘flesh’ and ‘spirit’ to try and personify these two concepts, when they are given no such personification in Greek (to elaborate: if each Greek noun here had a definite article in front of them, there would be an argument to capitalize ‘flesh’ or ‘spirit,’ as a definite article in front of a Greek word can strongly indicate personification, or a proper name. But that doesn’t happen here.)

Of course, this is not the end of the sentence, and Paul must include the qualifier, “if so be that…” so as not to make a broad assumption that immediately applies to everyone. He expresses confidence – but confidence in those that have evidence of sainthood produced in them.

“If so be that” is all one big word in Greek: eiper. It is not to doubt you by any means – it is a “conditional particle” in the Greek. This condition is not, “dwell in spirit, then God’s spirit makes its home in you.” This, unfortunately, is the order by which most Christians perceive this verse; the very spiritual concept of faith must be manifested in you first, in their mind. You must enact something spiritual first – accept Him first – and then you receive His blessing. Satan would play on your ego, making you the gate to salvation, when Christ is the gate (John 10:9.)

The phrase “if so be that” is ultimately inviting you to examine yourself. Pray, tell – Paul’s assumption about you; is it true? The only way you can tell is by testing yourself, here. God’s spirit makes its home in you, so that you are living in spirit. If you aren’t living in spirit, how can you be sure that God’s spirit makes its home in you?

The fact that “God’s spirit makes its home in you” carries a wealth of information with it. This verse, truthfully, was instrumental in pulling me into the Romans letter. God’s spirit in me? What did that mean? Did that mean me and God were now joined as one? Did this mean that unbelievers do not have God’s spirit in them? If so… how are they alive, since God is the One Who gives them life?

These were big questions, but I found that the best way to answer them is to study the verse. “God’s spirit” is separate from “you,” in the sentence. “Spirit” here is in the nominative case (revealing it as the subject,) whereas “you” is in the dative case (revealing your relation to God’s spirit.) 1+1=2, so you are not God just because the spirit of God is in you. George Rogers puts it best, saying, “The Guest and the home do not become one.”

Had I not been made aware of this error, I could have fallen prey to one of the biggest spiritual deceptions today: pantheism. Such a doctrine proclaims that all is God! Goodness, all is God? That’s a little extreme, just from the sound, but the more you look into it, the worse this idea becomes. First, the phrase “all is God” is a twisting of Scripture; God never says this in His text. He says all is out of Him (Rom. 11:36, 2 Cor. 5:18,) through Him (Rom. 11:36,) and for Him (Rom. 11:36, 1 Cor. 15:27-28.) These should never be twisted into the notion that He is His creation – this is to mix the creature with the Creator (Rom. 1:23.)

The only thing that pantheism gets right is that all is through Him; but the universe is not literally “God.” Like the doctrine of “the carnal mind,” pantheism is an excuse, used by man to put themselves on equal footing with God. Since the beginning of the eon (at the Tower of Babel,) man has been attempting to “unify,” establishing themselves independently. This agenda has not changed for the last ~4,000 years, and it is in fact this same agenda that the antichrist will be using to his advantage in the near future (1 Thess. 5:3, Rev. 13.) The unification of “God” and “man” through pantheism – to call them both inherently one – is a major logical fallacy, and borderline laughable. There is not a single verse to prove the claim – only “I feel” statements and “Dude, it just makes sense.” These are the same arguments that people have when proclaiming “eternal hell,” so… make of that what you will. In order to make this theory work, the Scriptures must be entirely disregarded, and thus, pantheism has no value in an honest Scriptural (and spiritual) discussion.

*   *   *

God dwells in you – but you are not spiritually joined to Him.

Ooo, I threw you for a loop there, didn’t I?

Kinda surprised ya with that one, hmmm?

You are not spiritually joined to God. He is immanent, yes – working from within – but He did not say at all that He is His creation. It must be understood, then, that His spirit is separate from creation (creation, of course, being the effect.)

More importantly, we have not yet been told by Paul that we have been joined with God’s spirit. Did He say this? Certainly not in Romans! He said that we are joined with Christ’s spirit, yes! See, Paul did say that! You have been baptized into His death, thus are partaking in His life! But He did not say that you are spiritually joined to God.

The reason I highlight this is, of course, because the doctrine of The Trinity would take pleasure in combining both Christ’s spirit and God’s spirit into one literal deity (and they would throw “the Holy Spirit” as a title in there as well, for good measure.) This article is not going to detour into a study concerning The Trinity (at least, not at this moment,) but you can look forward to a Scriptural dissection of this doctrine (as well as a careful study of their “proof texts” in the original Greek, whilst rightly diving the word of truth,) in the near future.

For now, we can simply stick to what the text says (which is always the way to go, when all is said and done.) The text says that God’s spirit dwells in you, enabling your spiritual walk. The text says that you are joined to Christ’s spirit, but does not say this concerning God’s spirit. At the end of the day, Christ is now a Man (1 Tim. 2:5,) and is thus connected to creation in a way that God cannot be. God is not a man (Num. 23:19,) nor does He become one in the New Testament (Rom. 1:20-23.) All of God’s operations in His creation are through His Christ, as Christ is the only proper Mediator of God and of man (1 Tim. 2:5,) and all is created in and through Christ (Col. 1:15-17.)

He only deals with His universe through His Son.

What does all this mean? It means that creation is God’s house. He made a creation to dwell in. But God is a very… well, let’s say picky character. He demands a just inhabitant, and He will not dwell anywhere unless the place is cleansed first. This concept is established in The Pentateuch, where God makes the Israelites go through ritual after ritual in order to cleanse the tent of appointment, for God to descend and speak with the priests (Ex. 33:11.) After the abode is cleansed, God dwells there.

Now, with the tents of the Old Testament, the abode would be cleansed, but the priests would continually have to go cleanse themselves, then go back, then cleanse themselves, then go back, and so on and so forth. The law, as we’ve studied, serves as an anti-type to Christ – and you are now in Christ. The law, then, is serving as an anti-type to God’s operation with you right now. Wherever Christ is, so also is God. Christ’s fleshy body was a temple of God (John 2:19-21,) and Christ’s spiritual body is a temple of God (Rom. 8:9-11.) You are quite literally a shrine for God to embody, and work from within (Phil. 2:13-14.)

From here, we have a glimpse as to how God is saving all – He is slowly joining those of the old humanity into Christ, which occurs in their justification, and their baptism (Rom. 3:21-23, 6:3-7.) As we know from Romans 5:18-19, all will eventually be constituted just, which means that all will inevitably be joined into Christ’s spirit. Such is the conclusion of the farthest-seeing prophecy in Scripture, in 1 Cor. 15:22-28.

We can also see that, though this conditionality (“if so be that”) is given, there is undeniable proof that God’s spirit is inherent in all of the body of Christ. 

A)  God’s spirit indwelt is the proof that you are walking in spirit.

B) He never indicates that, once His spirit is housed in you, that He could somehow leave you.

C)  Those in Christ who are “fleshy” (such as Corinth, who were busy screwing their family and engaging in temple prostitution,) are never said to be out of Christ; in fact, the fact that God’s spirit dwells in them is central to Paul’s argument for right conduct (which is why you are seeing this fact presented in Romans before you are entreated to right conduct; also 1 Cor. 3:16-17, 2 Cor. 6:14-18.)

D)  If you are bound into Christ, then you are a saint (Rom. 1:5-6.) The walk is effectual – not the cause – that indicates whether or not you are a temple of the living God.

E)   The word for “dwell” is actually a verb, and in Greek reads “IS-HOMING.” It is written in the present tense to show that it is happening, in a saint, and is continuous. It is also written in the indicative mood, as a simple statement of fact (God likes to do that – state facts, that is.)

Now if anyone has not Christ's spirit, this one is not His.

Each member of the body of Christ can be considered as a brick. No, not in terms of intelligence. My analogy is in reference to God being a Bricklayer, and we the foundations of His home. We are each a critical part of the sum whole, and the building is incomplete apart from every single one of His chosen being called.

Here, we now receive Paul’s final corollary, so as to wrap up his argument concerning the poor disposition of the flesh. The same word, “if,” is used as it was in the first half of the verse. If you do not have the spirit of Christ, you are not “of Christ.” Sound simple enough? You are not “saved” until this shift occurs (Rom. 1:1-3, 16-17.) This is the second half of your self-reflection; if you do not have Christ’s spirit in you, then you are not His until a later point in time.

This sentence is very notable for one critical statement, being that we have moved from “God’s spirit” to Christ’s spirit. Many Trinitarians have used this verse to blend the two spirits into the same literal deity, but the Bible is a book, not a delicious smoothie. It need not be blended unless we are told that it should be blended. Christ is the Image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15.) This simple statement should show conclusively that they are two separate Beings – One is visible, and the Other is not. This is simple common sense: 1+1=2. Christ’s spirit is a spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4,) and of life (John 1:4,) and of truth (Heb. 4:12,) and of light (John 8:12.) This spirit – Christ’s spirit – has been joined with you. God did not join His own spirit with you, but that of His Son (Gal. 4:6) in order to dwell in you.

Let’s wrap it up by elaborating on this ‘self-reflection.’ This test does not succeed in the confidence of the individual. Many Trinitarians would tell me that they pass this test. Many good-natured folk in the Baptist church down the street would say they pass. And, the slightly-less-good-natured folk in the Pentecostal church across from the Baptist church would make the same claim. But confidence does not a believer make. It is apparent that, if there are 100 major different Christian sects, then someone is not telling the truth.

How do you pass this test, then, without being self-deceived? The answer lies in the context for the corollary we are currently considering. All of chapter 7 laid the groundwork for this chapter, and both chapter 7 and 8 have made it a critical point to delineate between the flesh, its disposition, and its desires, in contrast with the spirit, its disposition, and its desires. You may consider, as well, Romans 1:28-30, which provides a comprehensive list of the desires of the flesh (as well as its fruits – Gal. 5:19-21,) and contrast that with the desires of the spirit beginning in Rom. 12:1 (as well as the fruits of the spirit, in Gal. 5:22-24.)

Simply put, the spiritual interests of the universe will prove a true union with Christ. In order to make this clear, Paul again doesn’t label anyone in doubt. That is, he doesn’t say, “If any of you don’t have Christ’s spirit in them…” This tact is often utilized during Sunday service, when you are asked to re-commit your life to Jesus (as if He was weak enough to drop you.) Paul, in contrast with man, says, “If anyone…” Paul doesn’t seek to doubt, but he does request that you test yourself in this regard (and he is more direct on this front in Rom. 12:2.)

The biggest part of the test, of course, is faith. I hesitate to dwell on this point, as “faith” is not center in this passage, but it is the channel by which you understand this passage (Rom. 5:1,) and that, ultimately, takes the cake in proving that you are a believer. The proof is in the fact that God’s word ­– and no other – stands front and center in your mind. Not the KJV, not the NIV, not some shoddy translation being spread around by false evangelicals, but the true original text, properly translated, standing firm in your heart.

A wise man once said, “You can tell what kind of a man you are by the god you worship.” If you are worshipping a god willing to burn others alive for eternity, or a god that cannot be One Supreme, but must be split/co-equal/co-eternal, or a god that gives you “free will,” stacks the odds against you, and then punishes you for “not getting it,” then what does this say about you? What spirit is operating in you that would push such an agenda? Nowhere have we read in these verses that “Jesus is God,” that “eternal” anything is happening (aside from God’s power – Rom. 1:20,) or that your will is “free” by any measure (and we will further study that last part as we go through Rom. 8:30-9:24.)

When one says, “Christ’s faith saves me,” and not “my faith saved me,” the faith is true. This is because the text says that this is the true faith that manifests a righteousness of God (Rom. 3:21-22.) This is the crux of the test, and no other measurement be implemented. Ask your neighbor, “Which faith saved you?” and, if you are told, “why, mine, of course!” then said neighbor, intentionally or not, is under a deception, believing feignedly, and is not yet joined with Christ’s spirit. You, dear reader, can rest in contrast, having come this far in this Romans study, knowing the true power of your God, through your Brother and Lord, Jesus Christ.

- GerudoKing