Romans 8:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

NIV: For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

NASB: for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

CSB: because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

NLT: For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.

KJV: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

NKJV: For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

This verse can be read in different ways with wildly different implications. Not all Bible teachers or Christian traditions agree about its meaning, making it another example of the importance of context when studying Scripture.

Paul has described living according to the flesh as a life outside of Christ. This is a worldly life of serving self, first and always. Those who live according to the flesh are not Christians. They cannot submit to God's law and cannot please God (Romans 8:7–8).

Now, Paul writes that if you live according to the flesh, you will die. This is the first point of the verse where context is critical. Paul has made it explicitly clear in the prior passage that those who are in Christ cannot, by definition, live according to the flesh. That was not a suggestion that saved believers cannot sin, but a comment about the difference in the spiritual nature of those who are born again. Those who live according to the flesh are the same group as those who are not saved. Paul seems to mean that anyone who does not put their faith in Christ and change course by the power of the Spirit will die. This can imply some of the earthly consequences of sin, but Paul's main meaning here is a spiritual and eternal death.

Paul's next statement is that if, by the Spirit, you kill off the sinful deeds of the body, you will live. Here, again, context of this letter to the Romans is important. Some presume this to mean that a person who does not succeed in giving up all sin will not achieve eternal life. However, that explanation does not fit with everything else Paul has taught about our justification and having peace with God because of what Christ has done on our behalf (Romans 5:1–11). The following verse will continue to clarify this point.

Rather, this statement means first that those who are in Christ will, by the power of God's Spirit with us, find victory over our sinful desires. We will have greater and greater success in putting them to death. Perhaps second, it means we will really live, spiritually speaking, on this side of eternity, that we will experience the abundant life that God intends for us by putting to death the sins of our bodies.

Crucially, we should understand that this killing off of our sins is possible only through the power of God's Spirit. It's not something we can achieve on our own.

Romans 8:12–17 describes our position in Christ as God's children; those who have been saved through faith in Christ. First, though, Paul warns us that we owe nothing to our old lives in the flesh. That's not who we are any longer. No, since we are led by God's Spirit, we are God's children. God has not given to us a spirit of slavery, but a spirit of adoption into His family. By God's Spirit, we cry out to Him as our ''Abba,'' which is an informal term for ''Father.'' He confirms in our spirit, too, that we are His children.

Romans 8 begins and ends with declarations of the Christian's absolute security before God. There is no condemnation for those in Christ, and nothing will ever be able to separate us from His love. Having believed the gospel, we now live in the Spirit of God. That allows us to call God Abba Father. We suffer with Christ, and we suffer along with all creation while we wait for God to reveal us as His sons. With the help of the Spirit, we are confident that God is for us and loves us in Christ.

In Romans 7, Paul revealed his frustration of trying to do good only to be thwarted by his sin. He begins Romans 8, though, with the triumphant statement that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. We live in the Spirit, and we relate to God as a child does to a father. The Spirit helps us in this season of suffering along with all of creation while we wait for our adoption to be complete with the redemption of our bodies. We are confident, though, that God is for us and nothing can separate us from His love.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.