Text: Romans 8:9-11
I. THE TWO MAJOR VIEWS (Illustrated)
A. Disposition (defined later).
1. Necessary to Have.
a. ISBE: “In this place [Romans 8:1-14] the ‘carnal mind is identified with the “law of death,” and the ‘spiritual mind’ is identified with the ‘law of the Spirit.’ ... [T]he one makes man to be at ‘enmity against God’ and leads to ‘death’; the other makes him the friend of God, and conducts to ‘life and peace.’”
b. Though Johnny Ramsey believes in the personal indwelling, he correctly observes, “[A] person cannot even be considered spiritual until and unless he acknowledges the commandments of God and submits to them” (Gospel Minutes, June 2, 2000).
2. This concept is in line with the definition of the Greek word “pneuma”: “... disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul” (Thayer).
B. Personal Indwelling and its Necessity.
1. Mac Deaver: When ask, If any man does not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, then he is not a son of God? He said, “Yes” (F-D Debate, p. 73, cf 147).
2. Gus Nichols: “One is not a child of God … without the Spirit dwelling in him… (Rom. 8:9.) ... Those who do not have the Spirit are sensual and lost (Jude 19.)” (LHS, p. 172).
C. Why interpret “Christ in you” figuratively yet interpret “Spirit in you” literally?
I. REASONS FOR REJECTING THE PERSONAL INDWELLING.
A. If we can find one Christian who does not have the Spirit, PI’s interpretation is proven false. Study the Samaritans (Acts 8).
B. If we can find one non-Christian who received the Spirit, PI’s interpretation is proven false. Study Cornelius (Acts 10).
I. REASONS FOR ACCEPTING THE IDEA OF DISPOSITION
A. To be right with God one must have the spirit or mindset or disposition of Christ (Phil. 2:5; Gal. 4:19; Rom. 8:9-10).
B. A few commentaries identify the “spirit of Christ” as state of mind. Matthew Henry (PI): “Having the Spirit of Christ, means having a turn of mind in some degree like the mind that was in Christ Jesus...” (Romans, p. 389).
C. The “spirit of Christ” is defined in the context of Romans 8:1-11 (Illustrated).
1. As “Christ is in you” (vs 10).
2. As “spiritually minded” (vs 6).
D. Instructions from the Lord on the proper frame of mind (Mat. 5:1-12).
E. Example of the old man/new man (Eph. 4:17-32).
F. Objection:
1. Keep Romans 8:6 in mind while you read these words from Mac Deaver: “You only baptize a penitent spiritually minded sinner…. Sin is not reigning in the sense of influencing him anymore, but he is not a Christian” (F-D Debate, p. 24).
2. He has changed Paul’s meaning of “spiritually minded.” Paul sees only two realms. Brother Deaver’s view necessitates a third.
3. See above where Johnny Ramsey, who believes in the personal indwelling, teaches the proper understanding of being spiritual minded as one who “acknowledges the commandments of God and submits to them [italics, rc].”
CONCLUSION:
Both the miraculous reception of the Holy Spirit and
one having the disposition or mind of Christ could be proven or verified.
However, having a personal indwelling of deity which one cannot see, taste,
hear, smell or feel is beyond sensual perception or awareness.
And, whereas, we can find non-Christians with the Holy Spirit and Christians without the Holy Spirit, Paul must not have such in mind. However, since Paul had the Roman’s spirituality in mind, the context concerning such spiritual mindedness would certainly give further confirmation that the phrase “Spirit of Christ” has reference to Paul’s topic under consideration.