In Romans 8, Paul has established that the death and resurrection of Christ has freed the baptized, Christ-centered community to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (8:4).” What does this look like? When the Spirit is truly in the driver’s seat, what does daily life look like?
First and foremost, Paul defines life in the Spirit by what it is not. It is not life lived in the way of “flesh.” Flesh is the New Testament’s word for the ego, the false self that says things like “I desire,” “I can,” “I deserve.” The flesh is that false self that is plainly incapable of aligning itself with the self-emptying love of God (8:7) Living in the way of the flesh is, in Paul’s words, to “set the mind on” the flesh. The Greek word here is “phronesis,” and “set the mind on” is a pretty good translation. Phronesis is to think, but not simply to have a thought pass through the mind. Phronesis is to be possessed by a thought, to have it drill its way into the mind and wield significant influence over our decision-making. So, there are those whose thinking and decision-making is governed by the needy, short-sighted ego, and those governed by the Spirit. “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (8:6)” Life in the Spirit here is not described as a specific act or set of acts. Rather, it is described as an orientation; the heart arranged around the love and will of God.
But let’s be clear. There is no “do this, not that” kind of teaching here. Nowhere here does Paul say, “make sure you set your mind on the Spirit.” Instead, he does what he’s been doing since chapter 5 – skipping to the end of the spiritual journey and announcing that the end is also our present. “But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. (8:9)” The Holy Spirit is not near us, but in us, as close to us as our heart and lungs. At the same time, we are in that same Holy Spirit. Like the air touching our skin, it surrounds us and embraces us and goes with us. Where we end and the Spirit begins is indiscernible. This is not something we’re striving for. It is our present, baptized, reality, plain and simple. We’re not trying to “get the Spirit.” We’re only surrendering to what God has already done in us.
So, what will this surrender look like? What will it look like to walk in the Spirit today? This week? This year? For starters, we can make a habit of asking this very question. Just asking the question on a regular basis will spark the imagination and open our eyes to the workings of the Spirit in and around us. We can spend disciplined time in prayer and scripture. We can pay close attention to the ego, being aware of thoughts about the wellbeing of the self over the neighbor. We can get in someone else’s head, seeing things through the eyes and experience of the neighbor (something the ego cannot handle). Romans will have plenty of wisdom about what life lived in the Spirit looks like, but this is all a good starting place. The Spirit is in us. We’re in the Spirit. We are free and unhindered to live as if that’s really true, because it is.
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