The Lord Jesus lived in a kinder and gentler society than in the heathen countries around Him. Never-the-less, if a Jew’s bills were beyond reasonable repayment there was trouble. For example, he could be indentured. That man’s wife or children could be used as slaves by the husband’s creditor. There were no bankruptcy courts, credit counselors or consolidation services. But for the Jews, debt was almost humane compared to the Romans and barbarians. A debtor in some societies was at the absolute mercy of his banker. Remember Shylock in Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”? Some creditors could legally mutilate or even execute those who owed them money. Today’s atheist might hate Christianity, but he’d also hate to live in a Christless society.
This is the background to keep in mind as we look at verse 12. Paul reminds us, “You saints are not debtors to the flesh, but rather to the Spirit of God.” If you live after the flesh you shall die – that creditor will kill you. Mortify therefore the body, while you feed and glorify your soul and spirit.
The question is: “Who is master of your life?” Assuming that you are a Child of God – for that is to whom Paul is writing – Assuming that you are a Christian, Christ must be the King of your life. But who is the Prime Minister of that life? Who is running the day-to-day activities of your life? Is it your flesh, your body, or your born-again, Holy Spirit-controlled soul and spirit? Who is the actual Lord of someone’s life, determines who is in debt to whom.
I told you several weeks ago, that when I was 16 yrs old I got a summer job working for a Uranium company. I was flown 100s of miles from home, and paid to work under the hot Wyoming sun. The company promised me a modest salary and room and board. That room and food was an agreed obligation by my employer. I expected a massive breakfast every morning and a huge T-bone every evening. I expected to be given entry to the company bunk-house every night and a bed with my name on it. Those provisions were an obligation of Western Nuclear Inc., but they were not a debt. It wasn’t a debt, because it wasn’t overdue.
Earlier Paul had made a point: “Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.” Who is Prime Minister in your life – your sin-laden flesh, your temporal sin-prone body, or your spirit? If your body is your master, then it might be proved that you are debtor to it. But if your body is your servant, then even though you may have obligations towards it, you are not in it’s debt. Theoretically, at least, we are not debtors to either the body or the flesh.
Anyway, what real benefit has your body bestowed upon you that might make you it’s debtor? I might get some argument from an atheistic, humanistic biochemist, but the body doesn’t contain life, supporting the soul if one exists. Rather life is contained in the soul and the body is merely the house in which it resides. Scripture is very clear, the soul goes on when body has ceased to function normally. That means that the body should be the servant of the soul, not vise versa. And this further means that we have obligations to feed our bodies, to clothe and to medicate that body. If you don’t provide the body some sort of shelter it will die. You have the responsibility to clean it and care for it in many ways. But your soul is not indebted to your body.
Let’s say that I took my car to the auto-mechanic to have the brakes fixed. How much do I owe to that mechanic for brakes, if he gives me an alignment instead of new brakes? We don’t owe anyone anything for broken promises. In fact in some cases we could sue for damages caused by broken promises. And how many times has your body made you promises that it failed to keep? Early on it promised you considerable strength, but it lied. It promised a memory that wouldn’t quit. Oh, there was that youthful beauty, but of course it kept that promise, didn’t it?
The fact of the matter is that the flesh is an interloper, a liar and thief. Pardon the metaphor, but the inmate is trying to run the asylum. The flesh is a part of an evil triumvirate, with the world and the Devil. The flesh is not an ally to the soul in striving for holiness and Heaven. The flesh seems to be a wicked servant ready for treason at every opportunity. It’s already far over-paid, it’s pampered, and it’s spoiled. The body and flesh of many of us are lazy, weak, fat, and dictatorial. How many of us can pass up a nice piece of lemon pie, even when already full? How many of us have absolutely no food that doesn’t entice and win us? Why is it that I can’t keep from snacking and snacking again when we are camping?
But we are not debtors to the flesh; we should be masters of the flesh.
Christian, you are not a debtor to the flesh to live after the flesh. The Lord Jesus once said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Are you familiar with the context of that famous quotation? Matthew 6:23 – “If thine eye be evil, thy whole BODY shall be full of darkness.” The context is in regards to the demands of the body and flesh. “Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink.” Worrying about what the flesh demands should not occupy that soul of yours. “After these things do the Gentiles seek,” “But seek YE first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Isn’t it true that to pay ransom to the dictates of the body, we have rob the soul or at least borrow from it? You cannot live to the flesh and serve God very well at the same time.
So why shouldn’t we be debtors to the flesh? Two things: First – What logic is there in serving a master who seems out to take our very life? And second – The body is dead because of sin. “To be carnally-minded is death.” “The carnal, fleshly mind, is enmity against God.” “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Therefore brethren, we are debtors NOT to the flesh.
The word “mortify” may be old-fashioned, but it’s simple enough to understand. A Mortician is someone who deals in death; preparing bodies for burial. A mortuary is a place where bodies are prepared for burial. “To mortify” something is to cause it to die. And Paul says, “mortify the deeds of the body.”
But please note that it is “mortify the DEEDS of the body,” not the body itself. Suicide is not an option for the Christian for any reason. Elsewhere Paul speaks about the mode of this mortification. Galatians 5:24 – “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” What sort of death is crucifixion? How far should we stretch this thought? Crucifixion is a death by exposure over time. It isn’t an immediate execution, but rather a slow painstaking death. You need that body in which you live; God requires it for contemporary service. If you slay that body, you will be useless for the cause of Christ on earth. So then simply nail that body, with it’s affections and lusts to the back side of the cross of our Lord.
To put it another way, surrender body, soul and spirit to the Holy Spirit of Christ. Mortify the body, through the Spirit, and live. The Spirit of God gave you physical and eternal life, if you are a child of God. The Spirit is the Comforter that the Lord Jesus promised for us today. He is the restrainer of sin in this world that belongs to the wicked Prince. He is potentially the Restrainer of sin in our sinful flesh. The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance. The Spirit is the seal of our salvation.
We are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh. We are debtors to the Spirit of God, who has given us abundant life to enjoy. What we owe is humility before God. Spirit in me, demand that your body and flesh bow before the King. What we owe is zeal to the Lord. Make that lazy, flabby body serve Christ; force it if you have to. I know that the spirit is willing and the body is weak. Make it render unto the Lord the things that are the Lord’s. Demand from it agreement with the soul, in praise to God. Make it sing, force it to speak out for Christ, demand that it witness. Who is in control here? Are we going to listen to the flesh which actually hates the Lord?
The illustration has been used many times, but let me repeat it. An old Indian man, who had known the Lord for years, saved out of alcohol, was speaking to a group of church children. He said that when became Christian he found that there were two dogs in his life, one white, one black. The black dog wanted him to drink, to curse, to gamble, and to rebel. The white dog wanted him to serve Christ and to quit his sin. After years of struggle he found that the dog which was biggest and strongest in his life was simply the dog that he fed the most.
Brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live after the flesh. We are debtors to the Spirit, and must be diligent in the business of mortifying the flesh. Isn’t this what our Saviour asks of us?