Romans 8:4

     November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), a time when many authors set out to create completed manuscripts. The typical goal is 50,000 words written in the month of November. Amazing. But it can be done! Many published books have been the fruit of it. Now, I’m not setting out to write a novel, but this year it has inspired me to set a higher writing goal and (hopefully) stick to it. ;) So the reason I mention it here is beacause my goal is to write and publish 10 posts this month. Still not much, but way more than I have been. This will be this first of those ten (or more). Most of them will likely continue to be my Romans 8 notes. Hope you enjoy reading!

     Romans 8:4

     “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

     We live by the law as our moral guide, as C.S.Lewis talks about in Mere Christianity. Morality must have an absolute definition, otherwise we fallen  into the same trap of those in the times of the judges of Israel when, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Judges 21:25. We live by God's love under the New Covenant. Christ took away our sins, releasing us from those bonds of debt, and called us to live in the morality of His truth. We “do not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.” Why? We are spirit and our spirit reaches beyond our flesh in order to reach heavenly realms. Christ broke our chains as war captives to sin and gave us free reign under His care.  Christ enabled and empowered us to pursue God's laws. He overcame the sin of our flesh so that we would no longer be a stumbling block to ourselves—that our spirits may surge on ahead unhindered by fallen flesh. We live not according to the laws of flesh, but by inner truth of spirit, guided by the sacred whispers of the Holy Advocate. We live in flesh for the time being, but flesh is to be used as a tool for the spirit and through it one spirit ministers to another. Being aware of our current activity in heavenly realms (Eph.) Will help us live now in light of eternity, “keeping our eyes fixed on things above and not of this earth.” Colossians 3 (v2). 

     Earth and flesh are the lead glass of heaven and spirit: imperfectly reflecting the glory of true life. All this is not said to degrade flesh or earth, for they are marvelous gifts beyond comprehension. Rather, I want to bring attention to our presence in spirit. Flesh and spirit each reveal tiny particles of understanding to us about the other. We do not live according to the laws of man (flesh); rather, by spirit—allowing Christ's principles to rule in our hearts, and we, out of love, obey him. 
2 Cor. 5:1-10.