Subscription Lists
Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Paul wrote by the power of the Holy Spirit, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 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. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8.12-17; emphasis mine - jeb).
We begin our study of this passage by noting that Paul affirmed that we [apparently meaning all believers] are debtors. This language simply means that we owe someone something. The actual debt involved is not a physical debt of money, nor is the debt owed to any human being. In fact, the debt of which Paul wrote is one which no legal tender on earth can satisfy; to speak factually, it is a debt that can never be satisfied in its entirety. A believer can work all of his or her lifetime to try to chip away at this debt, but it can never be repaid. We owe our very lives to God Almighty and we “pay down” as it were the debt by living according to His will, but we never pay it off! Regardless of how hard we work, how long we labor, or the magnitude of the tasks we undertake, the debt remains. Grace will always be demanded in order for this debt to be satisfied.
We acknowledge the debt and honor the One to whom the debt is owed when we live “according to the Spirit.” There is another way to state this that puts it into perspective; it can be stated negatively: We are not debtors to the flesh! Truthfully and thankfully we owe nothing to the flesh; it provides no benefits to us and the only hope that it offers [if that can be called hope] is death! The reality of life simply is this: Those who live after the flesh (i.e. according to the unenlightened dictates of the human heart and mind) will die! They have no hope beyond the grave. Why is that the case? Because the only hope that exists beyond death’s door is the hope that Jesus extends through the gospel. That message and all that is connected to it is the sole means by which man can attain to eternal life; everything else is flesh and leads to death!
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but rather that the world might be saved through His Son. This stark reality is one that the world must learn if we are ever to profit from that heavenly sacrifice. Otherwise, we continue to grope much as the Athenians did among their plethora of gods, and yet we can never find the true God (see Acts 17). The flesh cannot reveal God; it cannot know God; it cannot serve God; and finally the flesh cannot in any manner please God. The flesh (man’s unenlightened wisdom) can only deceive and lead to bondage and death. That is why we are debtors – not to the flesh – but rather to God and to the revealed message of His Spirit. Only by allowing His word to set our footsteps aright can we hope to attain unto the state of eternal salvation that awaits the redeemed.
The wisdom of this world is no more valuable today in this regards than it was in Paul’s day. We have learned a lot since then through material discoveries of the universe; our world is a totally different place due to these discoveries. However, not one of them – not a single scientific discovery of any sort – has brought man one iota closer to God. We are debtors to Him and that debt can only be addressed when we come to Him in accordance with His word!
Questions:
1. What fact concerning God’s character can be discovered through science?
2. What fact of science can be cited which in any way enhances our chance at eternal life?
3. What is the relative worth of life eternal versus our physical lives here upon this earth? What will a man give in exchange for his soul?
4. To whom are we debtors? Even if we admit that we owe some debt pertaining to the things of this world, how much greater is our debt to God and to the things that pertain to eternal life?
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "Today's Little Lift" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.